Trial By Fire
by Coke head
Summary: The adventures of an innocent girl who has fallen into the hands of Hao. TurbineXOC PeyoteXOC BlockenXOC
1. Chapter 1

The sun's rays reached out everywhere, touching everything with its warm fingers. Everything except the giant notch in the side of the mountain. It looked dark and ancient. There were buildings inside the mountain, the old ruins of an ancient people. They just left this place here for the tourists who scrambled all over it with their fast food trash and cameras. No one seemed to notice the small yellow sign that blocked off one road leading into the mountain of Mesa Verde. '**Keep Out**,' it read. No one seemed curious about where it lead to but they probably had ideas. It could lead right into the depths of hell or even to another part of the village, where the people had run off to. Only the shamans knew for sure because this was the road to the Patch Village.

A small group had already gathered there, discussing if they should go in or not. A group of rebellious boys no doubt, wanting to cause some trouble.

"Hey! It says Keep Out!" One boy with a set of orange headphones exclaimed in a childlike wonder, as if he had just learned to read signs.

"Ok, let's go in." A Chinese boy with one single spike on his head started for the road.

"Hey you there!" A man shouted at the group. They all looked up to see if they had really been caught.

Another group had appeared by the sign, most of them were men dressed in diverse fashions, as if they had come from the United Nations in their country's typical clothing. There was a giant man, twice the size of the others. He wore a football player's uniform but had spiked shoulderpads and helmet. Perched on his shoulder, hanging onto one of the spikes, was a young girl with the loveliest red hair. She was the most pleasing to the eyes in a group of caped men and foreigners. There were two men dressed in black and a fat man with a fire tattoo on his exposed belly. The man who shouted at the group took a step forward. He was dressed in white and wore a turbin and a veil.

"Due to conservational reasons, access is limited to those who have a group pass. If you really want to go through, you may come with us." He said.

"Cool! Hear that Ren? They're nice people." The boy with the orange headphones said to the Chinese boy.

"Have you ever seen such suspicious tourists?" The Chinese boy smirked. "Look closer. I've seen them before."

The boys studied the other group for a moment and gasped in horror.

"But it's Hao's henchmen!" They all suddenly exlaimed.

"Hao!" A boy with green hair started to rush forward but the boy with headphones stopped him.

"Calm down, Lyserg." He said to his friend.

"You are quite observant, the boy that is named Ren." The girl smiled from her perch.

The boy with the orange headphones pulled them back behind his ears and tossed his hair. "What do you guys want?" He asked.

Hao's henchmen stared in astonishment.

"You saw that?" The fat man asked.

"Indeed, very interesting." One of the men in black replied. The bird-girl giggled.

"What?!" The boy asked.

"Oh, nothing. Sorry. You look exactly like him. Your resemblance of your ancestor, our Lord Hao, is quite astonishing." The Arabian man said.

This statement caused clamor between the boy's friends. They were discussing about their 'Master Yoh' being a descendant of Hao. Obviously, they did not like the idea.

"I say he looks a lot like me." The boy said smartly. Everyone froze.

"Hey! You've got some explaining to do!" A boy with ice-blue hair shouted at the Arabian man.

"Eh?" The man acted surprised. "Sorry but I cannot reveal anymore information. We have a mission to finish."

"Mission?" The blue haired boy asked.

"Orders are to give Master Yoh some secret information and to exterminate his companions. Those were Master Hao's orders." The Arabian man said.

Yoh and his friends were frozen in shock. Suddenly something grabbed Lyserg and bit into his neck. It had happened so fast that no one had seen what happened until the dust settled and the cape came down. The man in black that wore a cape had attacked Lyserg.

"You are so full of hatred that you couldn't see me coming. That's why I'll kill you first." The man said as blood dribbled down his chin.

"Lyserg!" The man with a split pompadour shouted. "Waah! I didn't even see anything!"

He watched as Lyserg fell to the ground, lifeless.

"You fiend! What did you do to poor Lyserg!?" The pompadour ran at the man who had just attacked.

"Heh, so emotional." The man said as the pompadour went for a punch. Suddenly, he disappeared and the pompadour almost fell to the ground.

"He disappeared!" He looked around, trying to find where he went.

"I'm over here." The man said.

The other man didn't even have time to spin around and the top part of his hair was cut off by a cutlass. The little girl smiled and clapped. She was probably as old as the other boys but she acted like a child.

"Humans...So simple, so fragile. Without a doubt, I'll take on Elvis there." The man said as he held up his cutlass. "Let me introduce us. My spirit ally, Blamuro, the Vampire Hunter." The form of a man appeared beside him. So he was a shaman. "I am Boris Tepes Dracula, I am a vampire."

Now that Boris was talking more, there was an accent to him. Transylvanian, most likely since he is a descendent of Dracula. He had a fair face and beautiful blue-grey hair. He wore such elegant clothes, like a prince. Boris was very well-mannered. No wonder the little girl on the big one's shoulder had fallen in love with him. She watched him with a passion and was delighted by his every movement. Just hearing him breath was pure ecstasy for her. The girl was obsessed with him, even though he may not even care.

"Dracula!" Yoh exclaimed, scared.

"Dracula was a fictional character." Ren said.

"I bet you aren't even a shaman." The boy with the blue hair threatened. "That guys looks more like Dracula than you!"

Boris turned to the other man who was dressed in black while Yoh and his friends compared and contrasted the two to Dracula from the movies. The man did look like Bram Stoker's Dracula. He had a goatee and a crooked mustache, like Salvador Dali. His hair came up into two black horns, making him look like a devil. A devil that Boris now hated.

"Boris! You don't need to take that crap from those boys." The girl called to him as he slumped around in disgust.

"She's right, I don't." Boris said to himself, getting up. "That's it! I can't let someone compare me to such a low life!"

Boris pulled out his cutlass again. Everyone watched anxiously to see what he would do. He appeared behind his comrade, who everyone thought was Dracula and thrusted his cutlass through his back.

**To be continued in Chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

Silence fell on everyone as the first drop of blood fell to the ground. Boris' face was blank as he pushed the sword into his comrade's back. Further...further, until it pierced through his torso. His comrade spat blood out and it ran down his chin. He was still shocked from the attack. The look of betrayal and fear was set in his eyes. The Chinese man's hand came up to his face, covering his own eyes from the horrifying scene.

"Much better." Boris said as he pulled his cutlass back out of the heavy corpse. He moved out of the way as it fell to the ground. "There, my identity is preserved."

Tourists began to scream and run away, shouting about murderers.

"Shhh...Boris, tone it down. You're making too much noise." The Arabian man scolded.

"Sorry chief. It's a bad habit...I can't stop." Boris kneeled over his dead comrade. "Are you going to tell Master Hao about this?"

"No need to. Try harder to resist next time." Their leader, the Arabian man told him. "We don't need a weakling on the team anyways so you'll have to work twice as hard in his place. Ultimately, Damayaji's death was of no consequence. No one will miss him anyways."

"You're right." Boris admitted.

"He was very perverted." The girl added.

"See? You did the whole team a favor." The Arab said.

Boris smiled. "Master Hao doesn't like polluting nature. I should take care of this body." He said as he cape spread out, forming bat wings.

"His cape! It transformed into bat wings!" One of the boys shouted.

"I'm sorry, Damayaji. It's all that brat's fault." Boris said. "My friend...You will live on in me..."

His wings stabbed into Damayaji and seemed to drain the life right out of him. One minute, Damayaji was still flesh and bone, and the next his essence was sucked dry by the bony tips of Boris' wings. When he was done, there was only dust left that blew away in the wind with Boris' tears.

"For eternity." Boris finished his sentence as he wiped away his tears.

The boys were silent, still trying to keep up with what was happening.

"That guy...completely disappeared." One said.

"Who was that guy?" Yoh asked about Damayaji.

"His cape ate that guy in an instant." Ren said.

"Maybe he wasn't important to them?" The boy with the blue hair suggested.

"His teammates don't even seem to care. They're not phased." Yoh said. "This is bad. Our enemies are heartless!"

The little girl grinned through her red locks. "We're not heartless. We are very sad about Damayaji, but now is not the time to mourn." She saw that none of the boys were listening, they were busy tending to that green-haired one, Lyserg, who seemed to be coming to after Boris' bite. She growled. "How dare you ignore me!" She shouted at them.

"Kaia, keep your temper. We don't need that right now." Their leader scolded her.

She frowned. She didn't like to be scolded like that but her leader was right, she needed to calm down. Boris will take care of them all. Sure enough, he was next to them explaining why their friend was so deathly cold. Soon, their Lyserg would turn into a vampire and serve Boris. Suddenly, he started shouting.

"Oh no, not again." Kaia slapped her forehead. The boys must have insulted Boris' background.

Boris appeared behind the blue-haired boy with his cutlass drawn. "I'll start by killing you, big mouth." He said, about to do as he did to Damayaji. Suddenly, the man with the split pompadour, now cut short, ran up and punched Boris. Kaia gasped and threw her hands to her face in surprise and empathy.

"Who are you looking for? You conceited pig." The hair style challenged man said. "I'm the one who you're fighting so leave him alone."

"Ryo!" The blue-haired boy shouted in surprise from behind his friend.

"Horohoro, shut up and get away from here. I'm tired of linking Master Yoh with Hao and this vampire crap. I don't believe any of it. But if you hurt one of my friends, you'll have to pay. And you'll pay for what you did to my hair!" The man named Ryo shouted to Boris, who sat before him, sulking.

"Ryo..." Yoh stared at him, amazed.

"Master Yoh, can you take care of Lyserg?" Ryo asked, throwing off his jacket. He took a comb to his hair from his pocket and formed a pompadour.

Kaia stared, her mouth agape. 'He fixed his hair at the time of battle!' She thought to herself.

A small spirit ball formed in his left hand as he rested a wooden sword on his right shoulder. "Sorry. Today is the return of Wooden Sword Ryu!"

**To be continued in Chapter 3!**


	3. Chapter 3

"This is my spirit, an ancient bandit named Tokagero." Ryo said as a spirit formed next to him.

His spirit had disgusting green skin, like a reptile humanoid and wore ancient Chinese armor. His hair was bound on the top of his head into a ponytail of snake heads. Kaia shrieked at the sight. Boris sat on the ground, covering his face and cursing.

"I'm the one who'll fight you." Ryo said again. His friends watched anxiously.

"This man is stronger than Boris." The fat Chinese man said. "Yes, even if he's mortal, he's strong."

"That obnoxious man? Stronger than Boris? No way!" Kaia crossed her arms in front of her chest in denial. She had faith in Boris, he must be trying to fool the enemy.

"My face..." Boris growled.

"Huh?" Ryo asked, clueless.

"You've ruined my face!" Boris shouted, his hand to his face. "You'll pay for what you did you filthy human!"

Boris disappeared and appeared above Ryo, flying at him with his sword pointed at his head.

"Crap! He teleported again!" Ren cursed.

"Ryo! Behind you!" Horohoro warned him.

"Too late! At this distance, you can't evade my sword!" Boris shouted as he began to plunge at Ryo, who didn't even see him coming.

Boris stopped behind Ryo's back and then flew backwards. Ryo had punched him in the nose. Kaia covered her eyes. She couldn't stand seeing Boris get beat like that. She was starting to think that her comrade was right. That Ryo was stronger than Boris.

"Aw, I hurt your face again. I saw right through your trick." Ryo said. "I'm known as the badest punk of Fumbari Hill." Ryo round-house kicked Boris in the stomache. "You shouldn't play with sharp objects. Take that!"

Boris recovered from the attacks and looked up. "Are you crazy?" He asked as Ryo flew at him.

"Not at all." Ryo raised his wooden sword at Boris. "I'm better with my sword, that's why I'm called Ryo of the Wooden Sword. Right, Tokagero?" Ryo asked his spirit who was now in an oversoul on his arm.

"Ew." Kaia said when she saw it.

Like a giant pot on the man's arm, it was green and warty like a toad. It breathed out smoke as if to say that it's master was right. Boris stared in horror at the obnoxious pompadour and Ryo's exposed, hairy belly as he rushed at him again. Boris only sat there and took it as Ryo attacked him with the oversoul, sending Boris into the side of a building.

"Oh Boris." Kaia clasped her hands together like praying hands. She hoped that this was just a trick and that he wasn't actually losing the battle. "Please get up."

"His spirit control is good. That reptile's head really hurt Boris. His spirit doesn't look as if it was human." The fat Chinese man said.

The Arabian chuckled. "I see now. These shamans know how to manipulate human spirits of the Serei-class."

"Serei-class?" Ren asked.

"And that means?" Horohoro asked dumbly.

There was a rumbling, like an earthquake. The building that Boris had been thrown at was crumbling. Bricks rolled and dust floated in the air.

"After 500 years, the spirit can return to its normal state. Means, it can return to its original form." A Transylvanian accented man explained.

Something black shout up out of the rubble and expanded in the air, high above their heads. Its wings flapped mockingly at the humans on the ground. It was Boris!

"In other words, it becomes a monster. Forgetting all manners and values." He finished.

Kaia stared in awe at him. After an attack like that, he had enough power to fly! She felt bad for doubting him, but her prayer was answered. He looked so amazing, hovering in the air like he was a higher power than her. She felt so small compared to him.

"He's flying!" Yoh exclaimed.

"His wounds healed!" Horohoro shouted. "You're a monster!"

"You're going to lose." Boris simply said.

"Dream on!" Horohoro shouted back.

"You're playing around again Boris." Their leader smiled up at him. "I didn't know they could manipulate Serei-class spirits. My mistake, you don't have to commit suicide for it."

"That's ok. I should stop playing around." Boris said. "Remember, I can't die yet." He drew out his cutlass. "Not until I avenge my family name."

That's right. Boris had told them this before when they first met. Long ago, his family had been hunted down by vampire hunters because of his ancestor. His parents were killed by Blamuro but Boris had escaped. Years later, with the help of Hao, Boris avenged his parents by killing Blamuro. Then Blamuro became his spirit ally. Now, Boris wanted to help Hao create the new world because humans were the cause of all his pain. He hated humans with a passion. Kaia felt very sorry for him when she heard this. She knew how it felt to have to live in the world with no parents. But she also knew that not all humans were bad. She couldn't name any but deep down, she knew that her theory was true. If there were nice shamans and animals, there must be nice humans too. Her logic was so simple. She looked up. Kaia had been reminiscing so much that she missed some of the battle. Bats were flying everywhere, screeching and flitting around. Boris seemed stronger now, since Ryo's spirit had floated off somewhere in fear of his power. Kaia smiled.

"I can't tolerate this!" Boris shouted as his wings smashed into a wall. "I hate humans! This is why I obey Master Hao. He says that he will rid this world of humans!"

"Boris has a point. What are we going to do?" The fat Chinese man asked.

Their leader walked over to the sign and knocked it down. The other two followed him, Kaia still on the big one's shoulder. She looked back at Boris as the walked down the path.

"At the state he's in now, even I can't stop him. I don't want to get mixed up with this. Let's go report." Their leader said.

"Report!?" Yoh asked, held down by a vampiric Lyserg.

"Master Yoh, you won't understand. Winning against Boris doesn't change a thing. You still have us to defeat after him. This path will take you to the Patch Village." Their leader told him. He laughed. "I'm curious to see if they can win against Boris."

The group disappeared into the darkness, Kaia still looking back at Boris, wishing she could stay. He'll probably do okay, and right now, they needed to head out to the village. Boris will catch up with them.

"We're being spied on. Bill, Kaia, go off road for a bit." Their leader commanded.

The man that Kaia was perched on nodded and with her still on his shoulder, stepped up onto a wall and headed off in another direction.

"You think it's a threat Bill?" Kaia whispered.

"I can't really be sure, Kaia. If the cheif sends us off, don't you think he's trying to save us?" He said.

"Maybe. Or it's just to fool the enemy." Kaia said.

"You're all about trickery aren't you?" He chuckled.

She smiled at him. "No, it's just part of my battle ethics."

"You're so cute." He said, patting her head like she was some sort of cute animal. He could have squashed her as well, his hand was so big compared to her whole body.

Kaia liked Bill real well. He was easy to get along with unlike the cheif. The cheif kept to himself and seemed to hang out with that Mexican shaman most of the time. Bill was nice to her and joked around with her. They were good friends. Kaia remembered back to when Bill asked if she would like to sit on his shoulder. She smiled at the memory. Due to a childhood injury, Kaia had to use a stick to walk most of the time and when Bill saw that she was struggling, he offered to carry her. She could make it on her own as she had all this time but she accepted the offer anyways. He said that it was no bother to him, she was as light as a feather. She didn't want to be a bother to anyone, especially with her small disability.

"I can hear someone." Bill whispered as they neared a road.

Indeed, a group with flashlights were passing below them. A bunch of people in white coats and then Yoh and his gang. Kaia was surprised. They managed to get past Boris. Oh, how she hoped he was alright. She looked at Bill, who smiled from under his helmet. He made hand motions explaining that they would follow them in secret until they were ready to attack. Kaia nodded in agreement and they began to follow from far behind through the winding darkness.

**To be continued in Chapter 4!**


	4. Chapter 4

The ancient ruins tumbled into the path as Bill and Kaia followed Yoh and the others. Real bats fluttered about above their heads in the cave, unlike Boris' oversoul bats. Even though they were following the other group, they seemed to be led there by another force. If they lost them, they would end up at the same destination anyways. Up ahead in the darkness, the other group stopped.

"What happened?" Kaia whispered. Bill waited to answer, not knowing either.

"I understand why Boris lost." A familiar voice said. The chief!

Kaia's heart skipped a beat. Boris lost? How? She pulled at her dress in a nervous manner. It couldn't be. He was so strong.

"It seems that you are missing a person, only two of you are here. Are you sure of what you're doing?" A man in a white coat asked the chief.

"I will deal with you myself. Our missing member doesn't have time to spare, he's very busy." The chief said.

"Hang on tight, Kaia." Bill whispered to her.

She grabbed hold of his shoulder pad and signaled to him that she was ready. He began to run at the white coats and summoned his spirit allies. They seemed to multiply behind him in a wave of football players.

"What!? Only football players!" Ryo looked up in surprise.

"Here I come, you will taste it! The Big Touchdown!" Bill shouted, leaping above their heads, Kaia still on his shoulder hanging on for dear life.

"The spirits of the old player, Big Guy Bill. The 21 members of his team, lost in an accident." A man said as he fixed his glasses onto his nose. "No pity." He withdrew a gun from his side. "Nor pardon for those who ally with Hao. Your evil deserves the capital punishment."

All of the whitecoats drew out weapons of various sizes but Bill wasn't afraid. He ran straight at them as they fired. Kaia gasped as spirits began to come from the guns and run at them, to counter attack. Everyone else was surprised as well.

"Arch-angels!!" Bill exclaimed when he saw what the spirits actually were. It was too late now. "Kaia, go!"

Kaia took up her staff from a strap on her back and leaped off his shoulder to somewhere safe. She didn't want to leave him but orders were orders. These enemies seemed too much for the both of them.

"Unbelievable!" The Chinese man shouted.

"How... did they get such spirits!!" The chief almost fell back in fear.

"We are angels. Our powers are concentrated in these divine ammunitions." The white coat leader said. "Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Metatron, Sariel, Remiel. We, the seven angels, are designated by the divine one. Of all eternal angels, we are the closest to God."

"Bill!!" Kaia shouted when she saw the angels standing around him. They were taller than any building she had seen and brighter than the sun. He was laying on the ground, struggling to breathe and badly burnt. She started to run to him but something hit her foot. She stopped and yelped in pain.

"Kaia, sit." The chief commanded her, lowering his right hand. She growled, angry at him for attacking her and the angels for hurting Bill. She reluctantly sat down under the chief's stare. Kaia couldn't stand it, her friend was out there dying and she had to sit and watch. She wasn't going to let it happen again, but she couldn't do anything as the leader raised a gun to Bill. The last stand.

"Don't kill him." Yoh said, combining his oversoul with a sword. "You're right. I don't like you."

Yes! Yoh will help Bill! He was Hao's important part after all.

"For Boris, it's already over. I know it's already too late to do anything. But on the other hand, if you are really going to kill him, I will be there to prevent you from doing it." Yoh spoke as if he had planned this speech for weeks. He held out his sword filled with his oversoul of the samurai ghost, Admidamaru.

Kaia stared at the sword and then back at the angels. There wasn't a chance. They would all be killed in a heartbeat. The odds were great and poor Bill wasn't doing so great. Kaia saw that the chief was no longer watching over her so she crawled quickly to Bill's side, under the X-laws' eyes. She guessed they didn't see her as a threat. A little girl who crawled around and couldn't even stand properly was no threat to the powerful X-laws.

"Easy, Bill. I'm here." Kaia whispered as she slid his helmet off and touched his face. He was terribly hot and was panting like a dog. "Oh, Bill. Please hang in there." She said, brushing his hair back.

"Kaia, don't worry about me. I am Big Guy Bill afterall." He forced a smile in all of his pain.

"You're such a stubborn man." Kaia smirked.

"Kaia!" The chief called to her.

She must have missed minutes of conversation. Kaia saw that the chief and the Chinese man was leaving, they must have had a plan to save Bill. She kissed Bill on the forehead and leaned terribly on her staff as she followed them through the ruins.

"Kill them!" The X-Laws leader shouted. Kaia fell down in a frantic.

"Although I told you not to kill them." Yoh said angrily as he readied for an attack. "If you kill those who disturb you, then you and Hao are alike!"

Everyone froze, letting this phrase soak in. Kaia covered her head with her hands, still awaiting the divine wrath of the angels.

"You dare insult us!" The leader shouted as his angel came hurtling down at Yoh.

"YOH!!" His friends shouted in unison.

The dust cleared and the feathers flitted around the battle scene. Smoke came from the gun barrel that the leader held in his hands.

"You know that you can do nothing against us. And yet you tested your courage while facing me." He said to Yoh as everyone watched in desperation. "A pathetic demonstration of bravery. I'll let you live this time."

Kaia let out a soft chuckle. 'Someone so powerful and merciless gave Yoh a second chance? What a hypocrite!' She thought.

"Patch Village isn't that far away anymore." The leader said as his group began to leave. "If you want to stay alive, you better go back the way you came. Further this way. A good for nothing like you doesn't know his place."

Kaia got up and leaned heavily against her staff. The chief observed a few minutes of Yoh's group before turning in disappointment. "Let's go." He said. Kaia and the Chinese man followed obediantly.

**To be continued in Chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

The darkness spiraled into oblivion. Old dirt paths of history leading everywhere but getting you nowhere near your destination. Streams of light managed to get through the cracks in the cave wall but didn't help Yoh's group at all as they stumbled down the staircase.

"Terrible. The further we go down, the less we can see. And this staircase, it looks like it goes down until it reaches the bottom of the earth." Ren said as he elegantly waltzed down the steps.

"Ryu, are you really going to be ok?" Yoh asked him.

Ryu had been carrying Bill on his back since the moment they decided to take him with them into the Patch Village. Yoh didn't want to leave him to die and he needed medical attention fast.

"It's all right, I will be ok." Ryu grunted, struggling under the incredible muscle mass of Bill Burton. "I have an iron will."

"It seems he is having a hard time. With my oversoul, it would be easier." A spirit ball said as it floated along next to Ren.

"Bason, idiot! I wouldn't waste my energy for that!" Ren raised his voice. "We don't know what is waiting for us at the end of this path, at the end of this staircase. We might end up in hell." He lowered his gaze to the bottomless pit before them.

They were on a small plateau with crumbling stairways leading everywhere. The air from the tunnels were cool and refreshing from the humidity.

"First angels, now hell. We won't make it out with just a simple trick this time." Ren said as he thought back to how close they were to getting killed back there. "Remember Goldva, he said that no one has ever returned from the Shaman Fight. I think that this time, we are close to that goal."

Trey chuckled. "Yeah, we fought hard to get here without knowing what we were going to find at the end of the way." He smiled.

"Without knowing?" Yoh asked cluelessly.

"Yeah, they used a jumbo jet to bring us to the USA. We were told that we had three months to make it to the village. And here we are in this cave." Trey grinned. "Are they mocking us or what? And they even told us that everything was going to be in Tokyo. And all that has happened to us here has nothing to do with the Patch people. The meeting with Lilirara, the Seminoa warrior or even Lyserg. Bluebell...the Apollo bear...but also Hao and the X-laws. All those stories seem big. Someone is doing all he can to make us feel small." Trey said as he looked up into an opening in the cave ceiling where the light flooded in. His words seemed to echo off the walls, giving his speech more style.

Ren nodded his head in agreement.

"You are certainly right." Lyserg smiled.

"America, it's huge." Ryu said under Bill's weight.

"Yep! We are really small." Yoh grinned.

A transparent samurai floated beside Yoh as they walked along and suddenly stopped.

"Admidamaru, what's up? Did I say something strange?" Yoh asked, surprised.

"No, that's not it. I feel something strange." The spirit said as he stared at nothingness.

"You too, Admidamaru? You feel something unusual?" Tokagero asked as he stared in a daze.

"Hum? So it wasn't just an impression?" Bason looked to both of the spirits.

"What?"

"Yes, it seems that something is trying to contact us." Bason came to a conclusion.

"Something is calling you?" Ren asked in disbelief.

"Hey! Ren! Look at the ruins!" Trey exclaimed. "Until now, we couldn't see anything because of the darkness. But there are a multitude of paths! don't you think it looks like a maze?"

"What?" Ren started to get the picture.

"It's not possible, we followed only one path!" Lyserg exclaimed.

"I only followed the group. Who chose the way?" Ryu asked.

"Not me, I followed you." Yoh gestured to Trey.

"You should have paid more attention." Trey sighed.

"I don't really get it. We all followed one path without thinking, which means that..." Ren brainstormed the possible answers even though their spirits had already came to the conclusion.

"It's your souls that brought you here." Bill huffed.

"Big Guy Bill!" Trey shouted.

"You finally woke up?" Yoh asked.

"Let me down." Bill breathed heavily. "I feel better."

Ryu sat Bill down against a wall and sat down across from him, trying to catch his own breath. "You can die with wounds like those!" He finally said, hence the fact that he carried Big Guy Bill all the way there.

"You also seem tired..." Bill took deep breaths between his sentences. "I am sorry but I can't accept your kindness. I am grateful to you, I owe you my life. I will explain to you. That's the Path of Truth which only reveals itself to chosen shamans."

"The True Path?" Lyserg asked, confused.

"I heard Hao talk about it. There are many traps here to drive back human beings. The maze is relatively complex but there are still secret ways, hidden doors. Since this archeological site was discovered more than 400 years ago, the 'famous place' has already been restored by humans.

"The 'famous place'?" Ren said to himself, trying to figure out what it was.

"You mean the Patch Village?" Trey asked.

"That's right, the Patch Village is right here." Bill panted. "And the ultimate goal of your trip is this place." He looked up at them. "But the Patch people are guardians of this place. The guardians of the Sacred Place of the Stars."

"The stars?"

"A sacred place."

Ren ran up to Bill. "Hey! Explain better, we want to know more of the Sacred Place of the Stars!" He demanded.

"I can't tell you more but if you are good shamans, your spirits will guide you to this place." He took a deep breath. "So? Are a little reassured? That's it, I've paid my debt. But can I ask you guys a favor?"

"Sure Bill." Yoh pushed Ren out of the way as he walked up to Bill.

"Please, don't hurt Kaia. The little red-eaded girl. She's a good kid. When I first met her, she came with that Turbine and she acted like she didn't know what she was getting into. I know better now." Bill smiled to himself. "She's feisty and strong but I doubt she's strong enough to win this tournament. I may be wrong but that's why I don't want to see anything happen to her."

"I understand Bill. Don't worry, we won't let her get hurt." Yoh smiled.

"Thank you." Bill smiled back gratefully. "Now go, you've spent too much time with me, your destiny is calling you."

"What are you going to do now Billy?" Yoh asked.

"I will go through it, with my own powers. I am one of the most resistant of Hao's collaborators. Big Guy Bill won't die so easily." He said triumphantly before his head fell forward to his chest.

"He says he's tireless and he just fell asleep!" Trey exclaimed.

"Wow! This guy has an outstanding will!" Ryu shouted, surprised.

"That isn't human." Tokagero said drowsily.

"The sacred place of the stars... a place where only chosen shaman can go." Lyserg said absent-mindedly.

"Yoh." Ren said.

"Yes. We only have to back each other up to continue." Yoh said as his gang began to walk down into the darkness again.

bTo be continued in Chapter 6!/b


	6. Chapter 6

A giant blue-white pillar rose up out of the lake in the middle of the village and reached up through a hole in the cave, straight up into the sky. The pillar was constantly swirling, spinning like a smoothie in a blender. If you looked closely, you could see the contents of the giant smoothie. Light blue human beings danced together as they spun around the pillar, animals of every kind floated along within the pillar and wisps flew up and down, flying aimlessly. This was a pillar of souls, the formless entity that made up the Great Spirit. Every soul was linked to it, returning to it when they were called upon and then reincarnating into a new being. This was the natural destiny of every soul.

Kaia stared at it in awe through the large window. Suddenly, a tanned hand pulled her back through the curtains, back into the dark room. She looked up into the tan face of the chief, framed by his messy black hair.

"Don't look at it too long, you might faint again."

"I have never seen anything more amazing since we traveled together." Kaia said as her eyes met his. "Do you remember those times?"

"Yes I do." His gaze wandered off to the walls as he paced around the room. "Which place was your favorite?" He asked suddenly.

Kaia looked down at the ground as Turbine turned to her. She liked all the places that they had visited as they traveled across the continent to Tokyo. They had traveled many deserts and climbed many mountains during their journey. Kaia loved the building they had passed one day. A giant pool was laid out in front of it and its roofs were like Turbine's turbin. She thought that it was so beautiful with the garden, the architecture and the reflection in the pool.

"The Mahal building?" She replied, not able to remember what Turbine had called it.

"The Tahj Mahal." He corrected her. "It's beautiful isn't it?" He smiled at her. Kaia loved his smile, she could never find the words to describe it. It was like no other smile she had seen before. A reassuring, sweet smile. When Turbine smiled, Kaia knew that he was pleased. "It's a tomb. The king built it for his wife."

"That was nice of him. He probably made it as a reflection of her." Kaia remembered the tombs she had seen before. Some were pyramids that touched the sun while others were just pits in the sand.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Turbine asked as he paced around again.

Kaia wondered why he was asking all these stupid questions. Of course she remembered all of that! She remembered every waking moment she had spent with Turbine, in fear he wouldn't be around anymore. "Yes, of course I do. That was the best day of my life, why should I forget?"

"I remember it well." Turbine gazed up at a painting of a red desert. "It was after the Destiny Star had crossed the sky, I heard a ruckus and went around the corner to see what it was about. There you were, in the midst of those people, being blamed for the comet because of your abnormal red hair."

A tear ran down Kaia's cheek. In that country that she had met Turbine in, everyone had black hair and looked down on people with different colored hair for being demons.

"They were going to burn you alive. I was stupid to stand and watch as they tied you up to that post and started the fire." Turbine muttered as he slammed his fists against the wall. "But at that time, I didn't know about your power."

_The flames, they were not hot against her skin at all. The fire didn't put off any heat to her and didn't touch her as it burned up the post. They were calling her names, yelling and throwing things at her. Kaia didn't understand at all. As random fruit was thrown at her face, she became irritated and wanted to throw something in their face._

"That's when you burned his face off." Turbine clutched his own. "I couldn't believe my own eyes as people began to fall about, grabbing at themselves."

"I didn't see any of it. I was blinded by my anger." Kaia said sadly as she slid down the wall and fell to the floor. She remembered the aftermath well.

_They had tied her to the pole with a metal wire and bound her hands with a rope that had burned away. The pole was now a stick of charred wood but she couldn't escape the metal wire without hurting herself. That's when a man with a nice smile came up to her and untied the wire, releasing her from the pole._

"I understood why you ran away from me. You were scared and didn't know what to do. I am glad that I found you later that night and we officially met." He smiled at her. Kaia knew that she should never think he hated her. She knew better.

"I am blessed to have met you. You taught me many things, about the lands, my powers and why others treat me like that. I'm glad that you treat me well, Turbine." She grinned. "I am thankful that we are friends."

Turbine gazed at her from across the room with his dreamy smile. "...Friends...Yes...friends." He muttered.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." Turbine said in his strong voice, only for when they did missions.

The big Chinese man with the fire tattoo on his belly entered. He was huge and it suprised Kaia that he could fit through the door way. He was half naked, wearing black pants and black silk shoes. On his back was a gong, attached to a wooden holder. A panda's face was painted on the gong and some kind of animals claws hung off of it.

"What is it, Zang-Ching?" Turbine asked.

"Hao is requesting that we all gather in the plaza at noon." He replied.

"Alright." Turbine nodded at Zang-Ching and he left.

"We have an hour. You might want to change your clothes before we go." He said as he walked to the door.

"Turbine." Kaia said and he stopped to listen. "If I was to die, you would build a tomb for me too, right?"

There was a long pause as Turbine looked for an answer. "I would be greatly saddened and unwilling to live any longer but if it is your wish, it would make me happy to fulfill it." He did not dare glance at her, fearing those childish faces that brought tears.

"I want a pretty tomb like the queen's." Kaia smiled as she gazed up at the ceiling. "A tomb that reaches up to the sky and looks like fire. I want a beautiful garden of warm colored flowers and an altar where the fires will burn forever."

The last sentence sent shivers down Turbine's spine. The things children say are the wildest things.

"I will see to it that the world will remember it forever, as long as the fires burn." He referred to her phrase. He stood there, waiting to see if she would say anymore but she sat dreaming of her own tomb. "Whatever you wish for, Kaia." He finally said as he slipped through the door.

Kaia finally got up and dug through her bag that she had hidden under her dress. Turbine had told her this trick because of some of the towns that they passed through. He said that the pickpocketers were highly skilled and could steal your stuff without you knowing it. She pulled out some clothes and quickly put them on. She had bought these clothes when they were traveling to Mesa Verde. Turbine allowed her some money to get her a spare of clothes and some important "girl" items. Kaia had wandered around aimlessly not knowing what these items were that he spoke of but she bought a cute outfit that she liked real well.

She stared down at it, admiring herself in her new duds. A white tank top, red leather pants and a puffy orange vest. She stared down in the bag at the black tennis shoes she had bought to go with the outfit. Kaia loved being barefoot but with this outfit, it would be best to wear the shoes. She reluctantly put them on and walked around the room with her staff for a bit before grabbing her bag and heading out the door. She found that Turbine had been waiting for her in the hall, leaning against the wall next to the door. When he saw her come out in her new clothes, she thought he almost had a heart attack as he fell over, legs in the air.

**To be continued in Chapter 7!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Turbine! Are you alright?" Kaia asked worriedly as she squatted down next to him.

He sat up and looked at her. "Yeah, I was just startled, that's all." He lied as he ran his hand through his messy black hair.

"Oh, okay." Kaia smiled. "Well, what do you think of the outfit I bought when we were traveling here?" She stood up and spun around happily.

"It's...different. I like your dress better but this will do until we can get it washed." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and walked down the hall. He didn't smile so Kaia knew he was not at all pleased with her new outfit. She sighed and followed slowly behind with her staff.

They walked through the streets towards the plaza and eventually caught up with the rest of the group. Kaia hung around behind Turbine because she didn't like Hanagumi, who walked in front of them. They were three girls that claim to be witches and never talked to anyone. This upset Kaia because she was so friendly with everyone. Their auras scared her too, and their clothes.

Kaia peeked around Turbine and saw Big Guy Bill in front of Hanagumi. She was happy to see him at least. She frowned when she saw the small figure on his shoulder. It was her team's leader, Blocken Mayer. He was small and seemed weak to the eyes but Kaia could feel his aura stronger than ever. It would be bad to get Blocken mad and he creeped her out terribly. He wore some kind of mask and was always wrapped up in that ugly ochre cloak. Blocken talked to her occasionally but his presence just scares her.

"Wow, look at the crowd." She heard Hao say from up front of the line.

She looked past Bill and saw Hao walking with Opacho and Lucchist. She remembered when she first saw Hao and was surprised by his charismatic power and how young he was. His aura scared her more than Blocken's. Even though he showed no sign of hatred and anger, his aura told otherwise. He would kill in a heartbeat if angered. Usually, Hao was a great person to be around but Turbine would never let her stay with him too long. Little Opacho ran beside Hao, she was so cute to watch. Kaia wasn't scared of Opacho's aura. It was small and sweet like a child's aura should be. A towering black figure strided along beside Hao. Kaia was wary of Lucchist. His aura wasn't bad but he looked scary to her. He always carried a book around and wore that black hat with a feather. He reminded her of the Jewish preists that she had seen when she and Turbine were in a place called "The Holy Land," tall and dressed in black.

Kaia caught sight of four more people in the very front of the line. Two men wearing monk clothes, black sunglasses and carried instruments. One man had short blonde hair and the other had long black hair. This was the Boz, some of the most friendliest people she had ever met. Their aura was weak but very good aura. She wasn't afraid of them. She was afraid of Peyote though. He was a mysterious man, hiding the pulses of his furyoku constantly so she couldn't read him and hid his face behind layers of clothes. She knew that he was a shaman from a country called "Mexico," and Turbine often talked to him. Peyote wore a sombrero, goggles, a poncho and a skirt-like piece of clothing. She figured that the place he was from must have been a desert, judging by his clothes. He was a musician too, he had a guitar case strapped across his back. She's never heard him play before, unlike the Boz. They played all the time!

The fourth person was her other teammate, Basil. His aura wasn't strong and it wasn't good either but Kaia had tried to befriend him, despite how bad he treated her at first. Turbine described Basil as arrogant, spoiled and a snot nosed brat. Kaia didn't want to say the other words he had said. She didn't understand them but she knew they were bad. Basically, Turbine didn't like Basil. He was just as old as Kaia, had cropped black hair and wore a matadoor's uniform. Kaia had seen them in books and wondered why Basil wore it when he wasn't fighting bulls. Maybe no one gave him any money to go and buy an outfit! That's what it was.

"Everyone knows who we are." Zang-Ching grinned as they walked up the steps to the platform in the plaza. He had walked along with Turbine

"We already have a reputation." Kana from Hanagumi snorted as she lit a cigarette.

"Soak it in, my friends. This is fame and fortune." Hao smiled as he stared up at the Great Spirit with a determined expression. He outstretched his arms as if to receive the giant pillar of souls.

Turbine covered Kaia's eyes so she wouldn't stare at the Great Spirit too long. "Now that we are all gathered here, Lord Hao, what are your orders?" He asked.

"Train hard in the upcoming months. The Shaman Tournament starts in three months and you must be ready to help me win." Hao said with a smirk.

**To be continued in Chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Kaia! Aim a little to your right!" Turbine yelled.

"No! You're off center! Just a bit to your left!" Blocken argued.

"Can't you see the bow is aiming right past his head?" Turbine pointed.

"She's almost got him in the crosshair." Blocken stated.

"Shut up both of you and let her shoot me!" Basil yelled as an arrow shot out and hit the ground under him, between his legs.

"Oops, I missed." Kaia frowned, her face not as bright and optimistic as it usually was. She seemed angry, at any moment she could blow up but she kept her cool.

Blocken laughed as Basil fell down on his rear, a reflex from the sudden shot. "That was good Kaia. But in the heat of battle, you wouldn't have as much time to take aim and shoot."

"I know that." Kaia said passively as she pretended to shoot Basil between the eyes with her crossbow. "Next time, I won't miss."

"Maybe there won't be a next time?" Turbine suggested. "That is what Blocken is getting at, Kaia."

"Try the scenario again." Blocken ordered. "This time, you have to finish each other off quick."

Kaia struggled to walk back a couple paces without her staff as Basil remained where he was.

"Begin!" Blocken announced.

Suddenly the two teens' powers flared up as the battle began. Basil's left hand glowed yellow as he rose up from the ground on top of a giant guardian of metal. Kaia did frontflips towards him and pushed herself off the ground, flying into the air. She quickly shot a fiery arrow at Basil and missed as the guardian swiped at her and she flew back to the ground.

"Ha, you missed!" Basil shouted mockingly.

Kaia somersaulted onto the ground and opened up like a hedgehog when she was safely on land. Quickly, she reloaded her crossbow and shot another arrow at Basil who had turned around in just the nick of time to dodge. In turn, the guardian made a fist and punched at the ground that Kaia had once stood. His spirit was too slow to catch up with her or she was just to quick. Basil grimaced as he learned this.

"Where did she go?" Turbine asked as his eyes darted about, trying to find a sign of red.

"Basil, you really should keep track of your opponent." Kaia said as she flew up in the air above him and quickly took aim with her crossbow. The arrow came flying straight at his head and he had only seconds to reply.

He replied by leaping off his guardian and letting it take the hit. The guardian quickly regenerated from the arrow being shot into its back.

"Should I finish him?" Kaia called to Blocken as she had Basil in a headlock and the crossbow up against his head, the arrow pricking his skin.

"No, he's your teammate after all." Blocken chuckled as he leapt off his little rock that he sat on and walked up to them. "That was better than last time you two, but Basil, you really should keep track of your opponent."

Basil snarled as Kaia threw him to the ground. She held her crossbow up in the air and it transformed back into her wooden staff. Turbine applauded as he joined them.

"Did I do well, Turbine?" Kaia asked sweetly, smiling up at him. Her mood quickly changed from a hostile teen into the sweet child Turbine had traveled with.

"Yes, you did better than I expected." His eyes showed happiness and pride.

"Not to be nosy, but how did you learn to leap like that?" Blocken asked, referring to her last attack when she jumped up high above Basil and his guardian. He knew that her foot was injured and thought it was almost impossible for her to do that.

"Oh, Turbine taught me." Kaia said as she smoothed down her leather pants. "It's kind of hard for me to do but I can manage."

"I demand a rematch!" Basil suddenly shouted as he stood up.

"I think that's enough for Kaia, today at least." Turbine said as he put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the wooded area back to the village.

Blocken watched as they left, wondering what their relationship was. He thought it odd that this man came out of nowhere with this little red headed girl and Hao offered them to follow him. He wondered if they were related somehow because they were together all of the time and Turbine was very protective over her. As they walked down the bank of the lake, he saw that she was trying hard not to put any weight on her right foot, but it was useless as she doubled over everytime in pain and lifted her foot off the ground like it was lava.

"Come on, Basil. We can train together." He said as he threw his cloak down on the rocks. Basil looked at him in surprise.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! That hurts so much!" Kaia whined, close to tears as she sat on a bench in the village and Turbine tended to her foot.

"I know it does Kaia but it really needs to be treated." He said as he wrapped a cloth around her foot. "You didn't have to do that leap you know." He looked up at her from underneath his turbin. She felt like she had let him down by injuring herself.

"I was only trying to show you what I had learned." Kaia said defensively. "I didn't mean to make you unhappy with me."

"Me? Unhappy with you? Where do you get these ideas?" He asked.

"From your expressions." She said bluntly.

Turbine laughed slightly. "Expressions don't show much, Kaia. The feelings from the heart can be expressed through many things but you shouldn't always rely on facial expressions to determine how a person feels."

"How else can feelings from the heart be expressed?" Kaia asked as Turbine sat next to her on the bench, finished tending to her foot.

"Many ways. By actions, words, the amount of care and attention you give something, there are billions of ways it seems." He stared up at the Great Spirit as he said this.

She followed his gaze but quickly turned away, knowing she couldn't look too long. "Like how you've taken care of me, is an expression of your feelings."

"Uh...yeah." Turbine stuttered, surprised that she caught on so quick.

"Hm." She pulled her legs up carefully under her, wrapping her arms around them and rested her chin between her knees. "Love is interesting."

**To be continued in Chapter 9!**

* * *

**I was thinking about making Kaia a pyrokinetic instead of a shaman to make it interesting but then I thought about how many chapters I would have to edit and I decided not to. Let me know what you guys think about that. I'm just going to keep it to my original idea for right now. - Coke head**


	9. Chapter 9

As Kaia closed her eyes and thought about how feelings were expressed, the thought of Boris came into her head. She hadn't thought of him in so long. Mostly because she had been so busy training and Turbine had told her to not even say a word about him. He was so handsome and dashing. She thought that she loved him. She thought really hard about it. Did he love her too, like Turbine does? He never really talked to her and he was too egotistical to notice her. Maybe he didn't love her after all. He's gone now, so Kaia can't ask him if he really did or not. She quickly wiped away a tear and forced herself to forget about him. He was a lost cause anyway.

"Is she doing okay?" Blocken asked as he and Basil walked up to the bench.

"Not really. I had to carry her most of the way." Turbine replied. Kaia opened her eyes and looked out over the streets.

"Have you ever thought of taking her to the Patches?" Blocken suggested as Basil helped him up onto the bench.

"I doubt they could do anything for her." Turbine said with a sad look on his face.

"What's the problem anyway?" Basil asked cluelessly.

"A long time ago, Kaia had broken her foot and it was never treated right." Turbine explained. "I think her nerves are being pinched by the bones from when they weren't aligned right." He demonstrated with his hands how they could not be aligned.

"Surely the Patches have an immense medical knowledge and can fix that sort of thing." Blocken urged.

"I'm worried about the money." Turbine admitted.

"I'm sure they won't charge a participant for medical bills." Blocken said as he adjusted his blue scarf that he had wrapped around his ochre cloak.

"Turbine, please take me to the Patches. I don't want to be a bother anymore." Kaia said as she lifted her chin off her knees.

"You're not a bother at all, not at all." Turbine told her.

"I can't train hard enough to even help my team. I know my opponents will be stronger than I and I have to do my part." Kaia frowned. "I'm weak but if I can fix my foot, I'll be stronger."

Turbine stared at her for a minute. He never thought she would doubt herself before, Kaia was so optimistical and had confidence in herself. But now that she knew her disadvantage against others, she had to do it. He closed his eyes and nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

Turbine carried Kaia on his back through the village, looking for a clinic of some kind. Finally, he resorted to asking one of the Patch officials that ran the shops. Luckily, the Patches were very nice and helpful, taking them to a hidden clinic where Kaia could be treated at.

"Mohammed Tabarsi?" A Patch physician called from the doorway.

Turbine had been waiting in the lobby as the Patches looked at Kaia's foot to determine what the problem was. Even though she wasn't going through any kind of surgery, yet, he was a nervous wreck. His black hair was messier than usual and his hands writhed terribly through his unwrapped turbin. As the physician called, he stood up immediately.

"Is she alright?" He asked as he walked through the adobe hall with the Patch.

"She's fine, just in slight pain. You stated she had broken her foot when she was younger and it was never properly treated, yes?" Turbine nodded, "We must fix that foot right away. We thought you would like to talk to her before we give her a sleeping herb and start to do the surgery."

The Patch opened the door and Turbine rushed in. Kaia laid on a medical bed wearing only a plastic white dress. She smiled when she saw him, happy to see him rather than the Patches. He came up to the side of the bed and brushed her red hair.

"Are you feeling alright?" He asked her as he sat down in the wooden chair by the bed.

"Better than ever." Kaia smiled although the bone in her foot was killing her.

"Good." Turbine closed his eyes confidently. "I was really worried that you were in worse shape than we thought."

"Don't worry about me Turbine, I'll be alright." She beamed.

"I can't help it. I don't know if you'll be better after they fix your foot or not."

"They told me they'll fix me. I trust the Patches enough to know they'll fix me. Please don't worry. After the surgery, I won't be a burden to Blocken and Basil anymore." Tears became to fill Kaia's eyes as she stared up at the ceiling. "Or you."

"You were never a burden Kaia." He wiped her tears away, his own starting to form but he stopped himself.

"You say that but you and I both know how hard it was for me to walk all that way." Kaia choked through her tears.

"But I didn't mind to carry you." Turbine held her small white hand in his tan hands. One had a black band around it and a yellow gem in the palm of his hand. Kaia was always so curious about the black band with the gem. She studied it as he held her hand. "I didn't mind to be your beast of burden."

"I've been told to never carry burdens or regrets, be free as a bird, wild as fire. That's why I don't want to be a burden to anyone else. I want them to be as free as I am." Kaia smiled slightly as she turned her head towards him. He stared at her through his black hair.

"Oh, Kaia." He smiled back and brushed her hair from her face.

"We're ready to do the surgery now." The Patch physician said as he popped in through the door.

"Don't be afraid Kaia. It will be all over soon. I'll be waiting right outside the door." Turbine assured her, not sure what else to say or do as a goodbye.

"I'm not afraid at all." She lied through her smile. "Remember, I'm as free as a bird."

Turbine gave her that dreamy smile before her turned and walked by the doctor. "Please take upmost care." He said quietly to him. The doctor nodded. Turbine quietly left and sat out in the hall, already nervous again.

"Take this, child." He said to Kaia as he gave her a bowl of herbal tea. She drank it obediantly and grimaced at the taste. Within minutes, she fell asleep on the pillow, afraid of the unknown and feeling trapped like an animal as they strapped her to the bed for the surgery.

**To be continued in Chapter 10!**


	10. Chapter 10

Big Guy Bill, Blocken, Basil, Zang-Ching and Turbine sat around a table at a cafe for lunch. It had been three days since Turbine had carried Kaia to the clinic. He had refused to leave her at first when they told him they would release her in a couple days but then he decided he would tell Hao the news. Hao wasn't surprised, as if he knew they would resort to giving her surgery before the tournament. Blocken received the news well, mumbling about how excited he would be to see her power when she recovered. Turbine wasn't taking it so easy. He hadn't been able to sleep well or eat much. He drank large amounts of tea to calm his nerves but to no avail.

"Take it easy, Turbine. Kaia would want you to not worry and relax awhile." Bill said as he took a sip of his soda. "She's a strong girl, I'm sure she'll be fine."

Turbine lowered his head, his arms crossed across his chest. He wore a cap, a scarf that covered most of his face and he wore an overcoat that was buttoned all the way down. His unkept black hair barely stuck out from the hat. Kaia always told him he should take better care of his hair.

"She'll be even stronger when she recovers. Her furyoku will increase a bit and she'll be able to endure harder training." Blocken said through his blue scarf as he had been saying this for the past couple days.

"I just hate it when she's in pain. I am worried but I can't help that. Drugs don't help me much either." Turbine said sadly as he looked into the tea cup. "I'm going to go see her again."

"You just went to see her when we sat down!" Basil shouted as Turbine got up from his seat. "Pretty soon they won't let you come to visit!"

Bill let out a hearty laugh as Turbine sat back down.

"You're right. I can't stand to be away from her for a minute. I just hope she's okay." He took another sip of tea and sighed.

"I'm sure the Patches will contact you somehow if something happens." Zang-Ching said when he finished his large lunch.

Turbine put his elbows up on the table and put his hands on his head. "It's driving me up a wall."

"I see your feet are still on the ground Turbine." A voice said from behind.

Turbine turned just enough to see a man wearing a sombrero. "Ah, Peyote." He said sadly. Then he caught sight of red hair and jumped out of his seat. "Kaia!" He ran to her and picked her up in an embrace. She giggled.

"Easy, Turbine." Peyote laughed. "She's got crutches."

Turbine let Kaia down and stared happily at her. Her red hair was washed and combed, beautifully red as usual. She wore her old red dress that Turbine had brought her during his numerous visits. Her brown eyes gazed up at him happily as she let down her crutches and reached for another hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" He exclaimed as he held her.

"I've always been okay, silly." Kaia said as she took his hat and put it on her head.

"She has to go back in a month to get the cast taken off and she has to take it easy for awhile." Peyote said as he stood around the others at the table.

Kaia walked up to Blocken on her crutches and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry I can't train for awhile Blocken."

"It's understandable." He simply said, still excited about how powerful she could possibly be when she fully recovers.

"Thank you guys for the cards and flowers. It really cheered me up." She grinned as Turbine offered her a seat.

"They just released you today?" Turbine asked as he put his hat back on.

"Yeah, dummy. Just now. Peyote was visiting me and they came in and said I could go." Kaia beamed. Turbine gave Peyote a quick glance then looked back to Kaia.

"Have you ate yet?" Turbine asked her.

"Peyote brought me some lunch." Kaia smiled up at Peyote, who stood behind her. Turbine gave him another glance.

"So how was the surgery?" Bill asked.

"What surgery? All I remember is the tea and then running across the desert with Turbine. Or was that a dream?" Kaia looked to Turbine as if he knew.

"Sadly, it was a dream." He sighed.

"Well I would like to stay and chat but I must go. Here's her stuff." Peyote said, putting a sack down on the ground next to Kaia. "Good-bye Kaia." Peyote put a gloved hand on her shoulder. Kaia reached up and put her hand on top of his.

"Good-bye Peyote." She smiled up at him.

"Adios everyone!" He called as he turned and left.

"I have to go and use the little girl's room." Kaia whispered to Turbine as she pulled herself up on her crutches and headed into the cafe.

Turbine watched her as she went out of earshot and then turned to the others. "Who does Peyote think he is to go and visit her without me knowing?"

"A concerned friend?" Zang-Ching suggested.

"But Peyote isn't even her friend! He doesn't give a damn about her." Turbine exclaimed angrily.

"You sound jealous." Blocken snickered.

"I'm not jealous." Turbine sneered. "Maybe a little but that's not the point. Peyote has no right to be seeing her."

"What if it was one of us?" Bill asked as he crossed his huge arms in front of his overalls.

"I wouldn't care." Turbine said.

"What do you have against Peyote?" Blocken asked.

Turbine was silent for awhile. "I don't know, I just get a feeling whenever I think about him around Kaia."

"You're over-protective." Zang-Ching smirked.

"You're afraid he'll take your place." Basil said.

"What?" Turbine objected but quickly calmed down. "I think that's it."

"Peyote will never take your place, Turbine." Kaia said as she came through the door on her crutches.

"Kaia! You didn't hear anything did you?" Turbine stood up abruptly.

"No." She said as she struggled on her crutches to her seat.

"Then how did you know that Peyote was who we were talking about?" Turbine asked her.

"Peyote told me you would be upset about him coming to the clinic." Kaia quickly said. "He thinks you don't like him much."

"You bet I don't." Turbine grumbled, crossing his arms and legs angrily.

"I wish everyone could be friends." Kaia said quietly to herself, remembering how she was never friends with Peyote and how they became friends when he came and visited her.

**To be continued in Chapter 11!**


	11. Chapter 11

Kaia stared at the red roses that Turbine had brought in today while she was asleep. She loved the color red. He was so nice to have gotten her roses of her favorite color. Her eyes moved to the many get well cards that were now forming a wall in front of the roses. They were all from her closest friends. Turbine, of course, Bill, the Boz, and one from Blocken. She was happy to know that they were all thinking of her. A sudden, quiet knock on the door stirred Kaia from her gifts.

"Come in." She called. Turbine never knocked on the door, he always made a bunch of noise as he came down the hall, so it must have been someone else.

A familiar sombrero entered the doorway and Kaia wondered why _he_ came to see her.

"How are you doing?" Peyote asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I'm fine. I am numb from laying in this bed all day but my foot doesn't bother me as much." Kaia smiled.

"That's good." Peyote sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I heard you were in the hospital so I thought I would come to see you, if that's okay with Turbine."

"I'm sure he won't mind." She smiled sweetly.

"I don't know. I think he doesn't like me very well." Peyote said.

"I wouldn't like someone who would never show their face either." Kaia teased but Peyote took it the other way.

"I suppose I could take my mask off once in awhile." He said as he took his sombrero off and took his bandana and goggles down to hang around his neck. "Is that better?"

Kaia nodded as she observed Peyote's face. His head was half shaved, except for a lock of red hair that hung over the left side of his face. His eyes showed hardly any emotion, only alertness. She could barely feel his aura now. It was very sad, Kaia almost felt sad herself. She was determined to know why. Her curiousity was often a curse.

"Why are you so sad?" She asked him.

"What?" He asked, suprised at her question.

"I sense that you are sad. Why?"

"It's nothing you should be concerned about."

"People shouldn't be weighed down by burdens or regrets. People should be as free as birds, not having to worry about things that they can't control." Kaia said her favorite philosophy.

"My friends were stupid and got into fights all the time. That's what they got for being as free as birds." Peyote squinted his eyes at nothing.

"Your friends... That's why you're sad?" Peyote nodded. "I lost my parents when I was young but for some reason, I am not sad. But when I do get sad about other things, Turbine is always there to help me." Kaia smiled at the ceiling as she laid in the bedsheets. "I'll be your friend, Peyote." She turned to face him and held out her porcelain hand from the white sheets.

He stared at her hand for a minute, unsure of what to do. "I guess." He mumbled to himself as he took her small hand in his gloved hand.

Kaia's stomache rumbled and she sighed, letting go of Peyote's hand.

"Oh, I also thought you would be tired of the food they gave you here so I brought you something." Peyote remembered as he pulled out an aluminum foil wrapped object from his leather bag and handed it to her.

"Thanks Peyote!" Kaia exclaimed as she unwrapped it and found a cheeseburger. She hadn't had one of those for so long! As she ate, trying not to scarf it down, she remembered her first cheeseburger when they were dropped off from the Patch Jumbo Jet and Turbine got her something to eat at a diner.

As Kaia finished her cheeseburger, the doctor came in to the room. "Kaia, we have done some more x-ray scans and decided that you can go home now. But you must take it easy and come back in a month."

"You hear that Peyote? I can go home now!" Kaia grinned at Peyote.

"I'll take you home then." Peyote smiled slightly as he watched the girl limp around excitedly and then trip and fall on her blankets that had tangled up around her cast. He knew that she was okay when she started laughing at herself.

Kaia rambled on and on about how good the cheeseburger was as Turbine's face went red with anger.

"So he's your friend now!?" Turbine raised his voice as he stood up from his chair, enraged.

"Peyote is my friend." Kaia admitted, not affected by Turbine's angry aura. She simply ignored it as she nibbled a cookie Bill had passed to her. "Peyote is lonely and that's why he came to see me." She looked up at Turbine and smiled. "Don't worry Turbine, you'll always be my bestest friend."

In all of his rage, he was quickly tamed by the small girl's sweet words and smile combination so he sat back down calmly. He couldn't get mad at her. She didn't understand. The situation was nothing to her, she only thought that she was friends with him. Turbine knew better. He knew about the evil that humans could do, he's seen it before. Like how Kaia lived as an orphan in the streets of Baghdad for all those years. She was persecuted for her red hair and was going to be burned at the stake for it. That's when Turbine's senses were awakened and he decided that humans could no longer exist. He and Kaia would follow the calling of the comet, sensing that it was no ordinary comet for humans to gaze at. When they finally arrived in Japan, that's when they met him. Hao Asakura. He would help them rid the world of humans who had persecuted Kaia. Justice would be served and Kaia could live an innocent, happy life with him. But he had to get Peyote out of the picture first.

**To be continued in Chapter 12!**


	12. Chapter 12

A month had passed as Kaia's foot healed. She had been cooped up in the room she and Turbine stayed in for most of the time. Peyote occasionally dropped by to take her on very short walks while Turbine was away. She started to like Peyote more as they got to know each other. He was a very talented man who could play the guitar well. He told her of his rich culture in Mexico and taught her a few words from his language. Turbine had done the same to make her his friend, by talking to her and explaining his background. She felt bad for Peyote. He had no friends, only her. She and Turbine were the only ones he talked to, the rest of the time he was a lone wolf. Kaia decided she would help him make more friends.

"It's about time to get that thing taken off, right?" Peyote asked as he walked her home.

"Yeah, I think it has been a month." Kaia looked down at her cast as she used her crutches. "Turbine is probably planning to take me later, but I'm sure you can come with us." She smiled up at him as he opened the wooden door for her.

It was dark inside the small adobe house that the Patches had let shamans stay in. All over the village were small houses in which the teams lived together in, like dorms in colleges.

"Anyone home?" Peyote called out as he closed the door behind him.

"He should be home by now." Kaia said worriedly as she came through the room on her crutches.

Suddenly, the curtains were drawn and the light flooded in, piercing the darkness as demons jumped out shouting, "Happy Birthday Kaia!"

Kaia almost fell back on her crutches by surprise but Peyote backed her up. He chuckled under his bandana.

"It's my birthday?" Kaia asked, confused.

Turbine, Bill, Blocken, the Boz, Basil, Zang-Ching and the physician from the clinic came into the light wearing pointy, colorful hats and throwing confetti. Kaia clapped happily when the surprise wore off as Turbine lit the candles on the cake. The cake was a white rectangle cake decorated with red frosting and red roses surrounding, "Happy Birthday Kaia." Peyote helped her into a chair and took her crutches.

"Make a wish." Turbine whispered to Kaia in her ear.

Kaia closed her eyes with a smile and blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for?" Peyote asked her.

"Can't tell you or it won't come true." Kaia grinned.

"The doctor will take your cast off now." Turbine told Kaia as he cut the cake.

The Patch doctor got down on his knees in front of Kaia and took a tribal knife to her cast. Everyone watched intently, even Turbine who had put down the cake knife. The doctor sliced the cast down both side and began to slip it off Kaia's foot.

"She should try to walk without the crutches as much as she can to get used to walking again. In the meantime, let's have some cake!" The doctor exclaimed.

Turbine passed out cake and sat down himself on the arm of the chair that Kaia sat in. She smiled up at him, frosting dabbed around her mouth. He laughed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Happy Birthday Kaia." He said again, pulling something from his robes. He sat it in her lap and went over to talk to Bill and Zang-Ching.

"What's that?" Peyote asked her, peering into her lap.

"I don't know." Kaia said as she observed the beautifully wrapped box. The wrapping paper was the deepest red, her favorite color.

"Aren't you going to open it?" He pestered her.

"Yeah." Kaia snapped as she smiled at the wrapping. She carefully pulled off the wrapping and lifted the lid off the box to find a red satin ribbon and a note.

"Ha." Peyote said disappointingly, as if expecting something more. "Well, what's the note say?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Kaia read the note, ignoring Peyote's complaints about the present. She caught Turbine watching her as she read it, he was really nervous. Kaia smiled as she took the ribbon and tied her hair up into a ponytail with a bow. She put the note safely in her bag and smiled in Turbine's direction.

"What did it say?" Peyote asked again.

"The doctor said you can start training soon." Blocken said as he leapt up onto the coffee table beside the cake and casually crossed one leg over the other. His shoes were long sticks with bumps like legoes. Kaia thought they must be awkward to wear. Blocken grinned through his mask at her.

"That will be great. I'm looking forward to it." Kaia smiled at him, ignoring Peyote's question. "Peyote, have you met Blocken?"

"Uh, not really." He stuttered.

Kaia began to introduce Peyote to the others in the room. The Boz seemed to like him real well, all three of them being musicians and on the same team. They sat and talked about guitars while Kaia limped off to talk to Turbine.

As she came up to him, he stood up from the chair and offered her his seat. She declined, smiling.

"About the note..." She started but he cut in.

"If you say no, that's alright. I can wait." He quickly said.

"It's just so sudden and with the tournament coming up..." Her voice trailed off.

"That's what I thought." Turbine said sadly as he ran his hand through his hair. "I can wait forever for you to decide."

"I've already decided Turbine." Kaia smiled. "It's just not time yet."

He swallowed hard and nodded as he held her hand. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and let go, walking towards Bill to talk to him about everything except Turbine and the note. Turbine watched her as she left, smiling to himself about the thought of Kaia in a beautiful white gown and veil, holding a bouquet of red roses.

"I hope she'll wear white for just one day." He sighed.

**To be continued in Chapter 13!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Kaia, you look so pretty with that ribbon in your hair." Bill complemented when Kaia walked up to him.

"Thanks." Kaia blushed. "Turbine got it for me." She touched it to make sure it was still there despite Bill's comment.

"So what did you think of the suprise birthday party?" He asked her.

"It really surprised me. As it should've done." She smiled.

"Turbine had set it up just for you." Bill grinned down at her. "He found it convenient that Peyote took you on walks about this time of day so he got us together and the doctor to take your cast off and throw a party."

"He's so clever." Kaia giggled.

"Kaia." Bill said with a serious tone that Kaia was not used to from him. "That Peyote might be very dangerous. I can't do much but to tell you to be wary of him."

"Peyote is really nice, Bill. He's lonely too and he needs me." Kaia frowned.

"You know him more than I do." Bill grinned from under his cap. "Who could ever harm you anyway? You're such a cute little angel." He patted her head with his giant hand.

"Aw, Bill." Kaia blushed as she was almost crushed under his hand.

The doctor had left shortly after finishing his piece of cake and Turbine and Peyote were nowhere to be found. After awhile, Bill, Basil, Zang-Ching and the Boz left, leaving Blocken and Kaia to clean up. Blocken had offered to do it himself but Kaia thought it would be too much for him and it would help get her mind off Turbine and Peyote for awhile. She was awfully worried about those two.

Blocken swept the floor as Kaia threw away the trash. It was very quiet except for the rustle of trash and the plastic sounds from Blocken's shoes. Kaia didn't speak a word until Blocken started up a conversation.

"So how did you meet Turbine anyway?" He suddenly asked to break the silence.

"He saved me from an angry mob and took me across the country." Kaia said as she remembered the fun she had had.

"That's when you met Master Hao, right?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think of Hao?" Blocken poured the dustpan into the trash can and continued his work.

"He seems really nice. I respect him." Kaia sat down in a chair to rest.

"What's your relationship with Turbine?" Blocken sat down on the coffee table.

"Blocken, I really appreciate you trying to get to know me but I'm just really tired right now." She forced a smile.

"I see. I'll let you take a nap then." He hopped down off the table and headed for the door. "And Kaia..."

"If it's about Peyote, I've already heard it from Bill."

"Eh, well...okay! Bye!" He rushed out the door.

When Kaia was sure everyone was gone, she crawled up the steps to the roof, wondering if Turbine had taken Peyote up there to talk without all the noise. She got up onto the top step and gazed out over the roof. Surely enough, there they were. Unmasked and gloves off, ready to fight. What did they have to fight about? She thought they were good friends. Kaia pulled herself up onto the railing and watched.

"I don't wish to argue with you Turbine." Peyote said as he dodged Turbine's punch.

"You say that but you're the one causing the problems." Turbine huffed as he kept throwing punches only to be dodged by Peyote's quick movements.

"Problems? What's the problem with me and Kaia?" Peyote smirked.

"The problem? She's my fiance!" Turbine rushed at him and Peyote quickly moved out of the way, letting Turbine fall to the floor in front of Kaia.

"Turbine!" Kaia dropped down to assist him. He looked up at her, shocked.

"This is awkward." Peyote ran a hand through his hair.

Turbine scrambled up to his knees and brushed himself off. "Uh...we were talking and it got a little out of hand." He explained.

"Are you alright at least?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Turbine touched his fingers to his mouth when he tasted a tangy substance. He examined his fingers and frowned.

"Turbine, you're bleeding." Kaia quickly took the edge of her dress and dabbed it to his nose.

"It's just a nose bleed." He said with a nasal accent. "You'll ruin your dress."

Kaia ignored him as she kept her dress to his nose. Peyote had turned away to stare at the Great Spirit. Turbine stood up to where he was out of reach of her dress.

"Come on, you're embarrassing me." He said as he took her arm and walked her down the steps.

"I don't mean to." She whined. "I was just worried."

"No need to, just a minor brawl." Turbine assured her.

When they got to the bottom of the landing, Turbine went into the bathroom and tended to his nosebleed while Kaia filled a bucket up with cold water and took her red dress off, putting on a simple white gown and began to wash her red dress in the bucket. Turbine came in and sat behind her with a tissue stuffed up his nose.

"Thank you." He said to her. She nodded as she continued to wash her dress. Turbine then got up and left the room, not knowing what else to say.

**To be continued in Chapter 14!**


	14. Chapter 14

The air in her lungs was cold and fresh as Kaia did laps around town. Her red ribbon bobbed with her flowing ponytail while strands of hair clung to her face with sweat. It felt so good to run again. Like being alive for the second time. Panting, she slowed down as she neared the bench on which Blocken sat on and she collapsed on the ground under his feet. He pressed a button on the stop watch and hummed approvingly.

"Nice. You made that lap in a minute." He said to her. "Basil just returned from his in forty-five seconds."

"Good...for him." Kaia huffed as she laid there in red shorts and a white tank top.

"No need to be competitive." Blocken said. "I understand that you aren't caught up yet." He handed her a water bottle and she drank it all quickly.

"I don't care if he's better than me." Kaia sat down beside him on the bench. "I'll catch up."

It had been three weeks after Kaia's cast had been taken off and she came to Blocken asking if she could start her training. He was entusiastic about it, starting right away by making her walk around town at first and then breaking into a jog. Now she ran through the village, all the way around the lake. They had done other exercises too, like lifting heavy objects for long periods of time and leaping from building to building. None of it seemed to increase their furyoku but Blocken insisted they do this to train their bodies.

"Tomorrow is the beginning of the fourth month. I'm sure they'll be starting the Tournament soon." Blocken added.

"Yipeee." Kaia moaned sarcastically.

"You give up already, Kaia?" Basil's annoying accent penetrated the sound waves.

"No!" Kaia stood up defiantly. "I'll beat you any day!"

"Oh yeah!?" He had nothing to say. He didn't seem as cocky as he usually was. Probably because he had to wear a white t-shirt and white shorts. Not his usual style.

"Yeah." Kaia said confidently as she readied herself to run.

Blocken started the stop watch and as quick as a wink, Basil and Kaia were off.

It was thrilling, the first few seconds of the race. Kaia was in the lead and confident already that she could win. But something nagged in the back of her mind. A fable Turbine had once told her. Something about some wild animals and a race. As Kaia tried to remember, Basil caught up with her and was just a hair in front of her. She pressed on as she gave him an intimidating stare. He gritted his teeth and took longer, harder strides. She did the same. They ran so fast that they had already passed Blocken once; he stopped the watch when he saw them but didn't see who won. Most likely it was a tie.

They had finally wore themselves out, landing at Blocken's feet. He laughed at them and announced the time.

"Thirty seconds, a tie. But a new record for both of you." He chuckled. The two moaned.

"Hey! Blocken! Basil! Kaia!" Zang-Ching called to them as he and his team approached.

Turbine immediately rushed to Kaia. "Is she alright?" He asked Blocken as he turned her over onto her back and checked her vital signs.

"Yeah, she's just wore out." Blocken laughed again.

"The Patch are boarding us onto helicopters in a bit." Zang-Ching said.

"Where to?" Blocken asked.

"An island off the coast of Japan." He explained.

"There are always catches to these Patch." Blocken sighed. "Come on you two." He hopped off the bench.

"Darn you, Basil." Kaia said as Turbine helped her up.

"Spoiled princess." Basil muttered under his breath as he helped himself up.

"Thank you, Blocken, for training Kaia." Turbine said to him as they walked along. "I've noticed a big difference."

"No problem. It's my fault for her to be weak, being that I'm the team leader." Blocken replied as he toddled along beside Turbine who helped support Kaia.

"Am I stronger now, Turbine?" Kaia whispered, exhausted.

He thought for a minute. Even though her furyoku hadn't increased significantly since her recovery, she had gotten physically stronger. "Yes, you have gotten stronger." He pulled her closer.

Kaia smiled and pressed her cheek against his chest. The scent of incense lingered on his clothes. She loved how he would burn that stuff and it stayed on him, like he bathed in it. She inhaled it until her nostrils felt like they were burning and she couldn't smell it anymore.

The two teams walked all the way to where the other teams were gathering to board the helicopters. It looked like Turbine had already gathered Kaia's stuff and set in next to the helicopter that her team were boarding. He helped her up into the helicopter while Bill and Zang-Ching walked to their's.

"Don't worry about a thing. We'll arrive on the island soon." Turbine told her, pulling his veil down and kissing her forehead. He carried her bags in and waved good-bye as Blocken and Basil boarded.

Kaia had quickly fallen asleep to the hum of the helicopter blades. She floated into the Dreamworld where she was taken into her recurring dream that she had ever since she went to the clinic. In her dream, she was running across the desert again. She had looked in the corner of her eye at Turbine, because he usually ran up along beside her but he wasn't there. She had stopped to look back but someone with a familiar Spanish accent told her no, to keep on running. Suddenly, a giant circle platform rose up under her and she couldn't run anywhere. Her feet were useless. Trying to crawl away, she saw blood fall all around her and shouting from invisible phantoms. She was terribly scared and tried to scream but her voice was gone.

"Kaia." An eerie voice called out. "Get up."

"I can't." She tried to say but no words came out. Her eyes opened to see an ugly ochre color and bloodshot eyes staring back at her through a mask. "Blocken? Are we there yet?"

"Almost." He retreated back to his seat as Kaia sat up. She found that her legs had fallen asleep and felt like they had pins sticking in them as she set them on the floor of the helicopter.

Kaia laid her head against the window sleepily and gazed out over the sea. So blue and pure. Like Peyote's eyes. She wondered what helicopter he was in as she saw a familiar veiled face stare out at her from a neighboring helicopter. She waved back at Turbine, happy to see that he was okay after her nightmare.

"There it is." Basil stated, looking out the window.

"Wow! This is the island that the tournament will be held at!?" Kaia exclaimed as she caught sight of it.

"Yep!" Replied the Patch pilot. They seemed to very talented to have so many occupations for very few people.

"It looks wonderful." Kaia stared in amazement at the landscape.

It was mostly mountainous, dashed with forests and framed by sandy beaches. There was a port on one end of the island and a small town of some sort along one side of the mountain. Kaia caught sight of what she thought was a circular landmark at the end of the town. She wondered if that was the arena that they would be battling at.

The helicopter soon landed in an open spot along with all the other 62 helicopters. Blocken led the way as they followed the other participants into an old factory where they announced the match-ups for the tournament. Kaia read the first match about fifty times, her mouth agape.

"Tsuchi-gumi is Peyote's team, right?" Kaia asked Blocken as they stood up on a balcony. Blocken nodded his head in reply. "Oh dear." Kaia's hands clenched into fists at her chest, worriedly.

"Seems that Peyote is in the first round." Turbine said when he and his team approached them on the balcony. "Good for him." There was no feeling in his voice. Just bitter hatred.

**To be continued in Chapter 15!**


	15. Chapter 15

"Looks like we won't be in a match for awhile." Blocken jumped off the railing onto the balcony. "That gives you two plenty of time to increase your furyoku."

"You mean right now?" Kaia asked. "But I would like to watch Peyote's fight."

"We can do that." Blocken said as he hobbled down the steps.

"But Kaia, would you like to change your clothes?" Turbine suggested.

Kaia looked down at her red dress. Maybe it was time for a change of outfit. In fact, Turbine had let her go and buy some more "girl items." It would be a great opportunity to wear the new top she had bought.

"We'll meet you back at the stadium then." Turbine told the rest of them as he and Kaia went to rent their room and change.

Kaia hummed a tune as she changed her clothes in the small bathroom of their room. Turbine sat on the couch and waited for her to get done. He wore the same old uniform he had worn when Kaia came home from the clinic. A leather cap, a thick scarf and a striped full suit that buttoned down the front.

"Are you almost done?" He asked her as he knocked on the door. She ceased humming and twisted the doorknob.

The door opened, revealing a tall young woman of about fifteen wearing a red ribbon in her red ponytail. On her arms were red leather gloves that reached up to her elbows. She wore her red leather pants and her black tennis shoes. Her top was such an elegant addition to her leather outfit. A short red blouse that revealed her belly and had straps that were tied behind her neck. She blushed as she brought her gloved hands to her face and smiled.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked him.

Turbine flew backwards, his nose bleeding.

It wasn't until eight o'clock that night when the first match started. Turbine and Kaia joined Hao and the others in the bleachers to watch Tsuchi-gumi's fight. Kaia was worried about Peyote. She spotted him standing at one end of the arena with the Boz, waiting for the match to begin.

The moon was high up above the stadium lights, adding to the luminousity of the arena. A man leaped down into the middle of the arena, his Patch cape flowed in the air.

"Welcome everyone!" He annonced in his microphone. "Some of you may already know me, I am Radim, one of the Patch's organizers. First, I want to thank all of you for your presence here today. Before the beginning of the fights..." He pulled off his cloak and jumped enthusiastically into the air. "A quick explanation about the rules. Come on all you little turds better listen up! You fight three on three without a time limit. Anyone can use the spirit of their choice. You lose if your oversoul is exhausted, you get knocked out of the arena or you surrender."

"Sounds fair." Kaia commented.

"So, all you little turds understand the freaking rules?!" Radim screamed in the microphone. "Of course, you can't receive any outside help. The square mared by the totem poles is protected by an oversoul which will prevent any interference. Got it, it's useless to try to throw things at me!"

"He's awfully cocky." Blocken said from his seat next to little Opacho. "Reminds me of someone." He turned to glance at Basil who sat on his other side.

"Okay! I will present those in the first fight! The first team from the lottery!" Radim turned and pointed to one end of the arena. "The team, 'The Ren!"

Three boys that were Kaia's age stood at the other end, opposite of Tsuchi-gumi. Kaia recognized two of them right away. Tao Ren and Horohoro from Yoh's gang. She hoped that Peyote had a plan, she knew he wasn't a fighter. He despised pointless fights. But this was the fight to be Shaman King!

"And now the team that will be their opponent!" Radim shouted.

Kaia couldn't help but laugh as the Boz began to jump around excitedly. She looked at Turbine but he seemed angry for some reason. His arms and legs crossed, he stared down at the arena from under his cap. He hadn't spoken to her much since they got there which made her a little upset. She noticed that he didn't look at her either. This made her more upset.

"Turbine." She said to grab his attention.

"Yeah?" He replied, still watching the arena although the announcer was running his mouth.

"You never told me what you thought about my outfit." She blushed. Really, she didn't have anything else to say to him and that was an unanswered question.

"Um...You look...You look really nice." He stuttered.

Kaia frowned. "You haven't even seen what I'm wearing have you?" She asked angrily.

Turbine took a quick glance and looked away. "Red looks best on you."

"You think so?" Kaia grinned.

"Master Goldva, it's your turn!" Radim announced and everyone immediately tuned in to what the old man had to say.

He stood in the balcony of a tower at the end of the arena like the emperor's perch in a colloseum. He raised his hands to the heavens and started his inspring speech.

"By the will of the Great Spirit, 63 participants have been gathered here. Now, let's start the fights." Goldva announced in a sluggish voice.

Kaia sighed. "I've heard greater speeches from homeless people." Bill and Turbine chuckled.

The whole arena shook with cheers and cries of excitement. Kaia grinned from ear to ear. She had never seen so much enthusiasm and excitement in so many faces.

"'The Ren' Team VS 'Tsuchi-gumi' Team...FIGHT!!" Radim shouted as he jumped out of the way when the Boz leaped forward at The Ren's third member with their instruments.

**To be continued in Chapter 16!**


	16. Chapter 16

Ryo strummed down on his lute as Zen tapped his microphone staff on the ground. The amp bursted with a powerful sound and spirits began to come out. They looked like bird-humans. Little demons creatures with humanoid features and a bird's beak. Kaia almost shrieked at the sight of these things. The boy was bombarded by the creatures.

"Our big hit, 'Chimi Chimi Moryo'!" Ryo exclaimed when he landed on the ground.

"Let's go. It's your turn now." Zen reffered to Ren and HoroHoro.

The two boys just stood there, ignoring the Boz's challenge.

"I am surprised. Hao's henchmen aren't very strong." The boy that they thought they had defeated said from behind.

"Huh? Claws?" Ryo asked Zen.

"Hey! How did he do that!?" Zen was just as clueless.

"Ok, Chimi Chimi Moryo! The remix version!" Ryo strummed down on his lute and Zen held out the amp as the demons flew out at Chocolove.

"But a remix, it's always the same song." Chocolove said.

Suddenly a giant jaguar appeared and gobbled up all the little bird creatures hungrily. It squashed them under its paws and began to shrink when they were all destroyed. The head of a jaguar appeared in the boy's clawed hand. So this was his spirit ally.

"Sorry, but that attack just wasn't really that useful." He said with a serious look on his face. "The strength and speed of Mic are enough to kill those kind of spirits."

"It's incredible! He's eating them! Chocolove's spirit is eating the Chimi Chimi Moryo!" Radim exclaimed.

"He ate all our small spirits!" Zen cursed under his breath.

"It's for this reason that musicians are losers. They only know how to brag and nothing else." Chocolove said as he stretched his claws. "Now, it's my turn to show you my skills."

"What is he trying to show us?" Zen asked Ryo.

"In New York, my master taught me this technique." Chocolove panted as he summoned his furyoku. "I am the Black Jaguar!" His whole body glowed yellow, his eyes were cat-like.

Chocolove bent down on all fours as his furyoku formed cat legs beneath him. He now stood like a cat and was able to dash at the Boz like a cat after its prey. The Boz were frightened and didn't know what to do.

"What's that!?" Zen exclaimed even though he wouldn't be answered.

"He's repulsive! He's got strange tattoos all over his body!" Ryo announced when Chocolove came closer.

Indeed, he had black markings all over his brown skin. He looked like, a black jaguar.

"Don't come near!" Ryo shouted as they summoned their Chimi Chimi Moryo again.

They floated to Chocolove, ready to bite and gnaw on him. He had a different plan as he pounced off the ground and dodged each of the spirits. Chocolove soon appeared behind the Boz, readying his final attack.

"Shaft." He opened his clawed hand and slashed at both of them.

The weak Boz flew through the air and landed on the ground behind Chocolove. They were finished for sure. Kaia quickly checked her oracle bell. Their furyoku was spent on those three attacks. She hoped they would be alright and that boy would let them be. Peyote was the last one standing. Maybe he could avenge the Boz's easy loss?

Hao let out a laugh. Kaia quickly turned to look at him as he sat in the row in front of her, diagonally. "They have clearly been eliminated. That was real funny." He grinned. "Isn't it? I was right to bring the Boz to ensure the show."

Kaia grimaced. He didn't care what had happened to the poor guys. He laughed at their defeat. Now the true personality of Hao was starting to reveal itself. A sudden idea popped up in her mind. Maybe Hao knows something about the Boz that she doesn't? But their furyoku was done for, it would take days for them to recooperate.

"I got the same opinion, Master Hao." Lucchist said to him. "However, there is only Peyote left. Do you think it will be alright?"

"I don't know. It doesn't really matter." He shook it off as he watched the fight. "For me, this tournament is only for simple entertainment. It still needs to be a real entertainment. If we don't win, it's not funny."

Furious, Kaia turned back to watch the fight, anxious to see what Peyote would do.

Peyote walked up to the Boz as they laid on the ground, exhausted. "Already tired? Shame on you." He lifted his foot and kicked Ryo hard in the side.

Kaia gasped and raised her hands to her mouth, her eyes wide. Why would Peyote do that to his own teammates? Didn't he care at all? They had been such great friends, why was he mistreating them now? Turbine grunted.

"Are you going to sleep forever?" He asked them. The Boz began to rise on their fee, slowly.

"Reversal of situation! Peyote woke up his teammates with a kick! This guy is incredible!" Radim shouted in the microphone.

"Wait Peyote..." Ryo leaned on his guitar as he struggled to stand.

"We can't fight anymore!" Zen tried to use his microphone staff to help him up.

"They are right." Chocolove said. "My 'Shaft' is really dangerous. If I had insisted, they would have been dead by now."

"You only had to kill them for good." Peyote said and looked up at Chocolove through his goggles. "They are your enemies, aren't they?"

Just then, the Boz rose again and rushed at Chocolove.

"Idiots!" Chocolove shouted as he jumped up in the air and kicked them both in the faces simultaneously. "They don't want to admit their defeat."

"The Boz don't resist. Is it Peyote's time now?" Radim asked no one in particular through his microphone.

The night wind whipped past Peyote, just barely blowing his heavy leather poncho. "Not yet." He said watching intently. "No, not yet."

**To be continued in Chapter 17!**


	17. Chapter 17

"_You_ must fight!" Peyote ordered the Boz as he gave them a shove towards Chocolove.

"What?" Chocolove asked himself. "Impossible! They shouldn't be able to stand!"

"Come on. If you don't kill them, you won't win." Peyote urged him.

Kaia figdeted in her seat as she watched the poor Boz after their defeat, being forced to get up and fight again. No wonder everyone warned her against him! He was a malicious man who didn't care about others. "It's not true! Not true!" Kaia cried into her gloved hands.

Peyote had went out of his way many times to come and see her. She had even became friends with him. There was no way that he could be so evil, a user. Kaia was in denial. Someone had to protect Peyote's reputation as a lonely man with a heart. She guessed that she would take up for him many times after this battle.

Turbine only sat and watched the battle go on as Kaia weeped beside him. She had to accept the truth. She had to see that Peyote would only get in their way of being together. "Look." He said to her.

Kaia let her hands down from her face and looked down at the arena. Peyote was taking his guitar out its case and played a little note on it when he had strapped it around his shoulders. Two spirits appeared above the Boz. They were being possessed!

"No!" Kaia stood up but Turbine grabbed her and sat her back down. "That's inhumane." She whispered.

"These are my spirits. Carlos and Joan." Peyote introduced them as he tuned his guitar. "They were both friends and known to be the best Mariachi players in the country."

The possessed Boz then attacked Chocolove again. Ryo broke his guitar in two against Chocolove as Zen kicked Chocolove into the air.

"Actually," Peyote strummed down on his guitar. "They were also known for the brawls they started."

"This is incredible!" Radim spat into the microphone. "Peyote just used the Boz as weapons! This guy is frightening, he's setting the crowd on fire."

"Literally." Big Guy Bill said when he caught sight of Kaia on the edge of her seat. Turbine tried all he could to keep her still.

"He attacked without warning! He's a real cheater!" Radim shouted.

Kaia covered her ears as she heard all the dirty names the crowd through at Peyote. All the names reminded her of that one night long ago.

Peyote chuckled. "Moreover, they were shot by an angry saloon client."

"A 'Man's' Story but really, a really poor anecdote." Radim's annoying enthusiastic voice said in the microphone.

"A 'real man's' story? What rubbish." Peyote would have spat on Radim if he wasn't wearing his bandana.

"To use the bodies of his partners! It's not human!" Chocolove shouted as he dashed at Peyote, dodging both of the Boz.

"Avoiding the Boz to attack me directly? You call this 'being a man'?" Peyote asked as Chocolove appeared behind him, ready to slash at him. "That's why you are an idiot." Something rustled from underneath his bandana.

A little puppet sprang up out of Peyote's bandana and slugged Chocolove across the face, sending him through the air.

"He's a puppeteer, Kaia. He'll use you like his friends there." Turbine pointed down at the arena.

Turbine meant the spirits but Kaia took it as the Boz. She watched as Peyote began to drop more toys from his cloak. Peyote played a note on his guitar and the dolls stood up at his feet, preparing for a toybox war.

"My power allows me to play with the dead. I can make dead souls vibrate with some of my music." Peyote said as his oversoul swirled around him to the sound of his guitar. "They are here to protect me. They will kill my enemies." He stopped playing his guitar. "It's clearer for you now? I was couting on the Boz, to use them. Puppets, forced to attack, dressed in a robe of flesh."

"He was so nice to me." Kaia whispered. "We were friends. How could he use his own friends like that without being sad?" Turbine simply pulled her closer to reassure her that he was there.

"It didn't surprise you?" Peyote said to Chocolove as if responding to Kaia's worries. "I mean, for me to be this kind of guy? If one dies for being too bold or without the means to fight back, it is not the story of a glorious man. For me, it's only a loser's story. The Boz must consider themselves lucky to have been able to approach Master Hao." His blue eyes seemed to flash behind his goggles in the moonlight.

"You monster." Chocolove growled.

"Let's go. In addition to you, I also have the other two to fight." Peyote said as the Boz raised their fists and oversouls of cacti appeared in the hands like clubs. "It is time to change tools!" Peyote shouted as the Boz rushed forward with their cactus clubs.

"His oversoul changed into a cactus? Why did it change?" Chocolove asked himself before rushing forward to meet the Boz in battle. "Your small puppets will be pulverized by my shaft!"

"You are still avoiding the Boz? You are a nice boy." Peyote said. "You are a real idiot!"

Suddenly, the cacti exploded and the needles went everywhere, you couldn't dodge them. Chocolove tried to dodge them and defend himself the best he could, but it was pointless.

"Chocolove! Be careful! What are you doing!?" Horohoro shouted at his teammate. "Get rid of the Boz!"

"Shut up Horohoro!" Chocolove shouted back. The needles soon stopped and the Boz came forward with their instruments, beating Chocolove with them. "I already told you that I continue, they will die!"

"What!? Do you think now's the time to think about that?!" Horohoro shouted.

Recovering from a punch from Zen, Chocolove gave a cold stare at Horohoro. "I don't want to kill them!" He shouted before he received a devastating blow from the Boz. "I don't want to see people die anymore."

Chocolove landed before Peyote, hurting and panting.

"I understand." Peyote said. The crowd was surprised that he had a heart. "But what you said is out of place." His puppets formed a triangle before him. "I am surprised. You are even more of an idiot than I thought."

He didn't move. Chocolove just laid there.

"Chocolove is defeated! Peyote already has seven of his own spirits out, his power is unmatchable." Radim announced.

**To be continued in Chapter 18!**


	18. Chapter 18

Kaia had had enough. She had to go somewhere private and sort things out. She stood up, clenching her fists. Turbine looked up at her in surprise. "Excuse me. I have to go and get some fresh air." Kaia told him before she slipped through the bleachers.

Turbine stood up. "Master Hao, I'm going to slip out with Kaia for a little while." He told him. Hao turned back and gave him a nodding smile. Turbine followed Kaia through the bleachers, down the steps and out the stadium guest entrance. She didn't speak one word until they were out of the stadium and in a clearing in the woods.

Kaia sat down on a big rock in the forest, laying her staff down against a tree. "I couldn't stand to watch him anymore." She finally said.

"I understand. It's my fault that I let your friendship get too deep." Turbine said sincerely.

"I have to talk to him later. I can't just ignore him for the rest of the tournament." Kaia tightened her ribbon.

"He gets what he deserves." He growled, but not at her.

"I feel bad for him though." She said sadly, resting her chin in her hands. "You heard his story. He has nothing. I was like him once, I understand. Until I met you, I was all alone in this world."

"And that was your logic with him? That if he had a friend he wouldn't be so sad anymore?" Turbine didn't look at her at all. He simply gazed up at the moon during the whole conversation.

"Yes." Kaia looked down at the grass. "But I guess you can't change a person."

"No, not always." Turbine said, wrapping up the conversation. He came and sat down on the ground next to Kaia, taking off his hat and laying it in his lap. "So what are you going to do with him?"

"If you know me by now, you know that I am a forgiving person. I will give Peyote a second chance but if he hurts another friend of mine without reason, I will deal with him personally."

"Hmph!" Turbine grunted disapprovingly. "That will be hard on your part though."

"I know." She sighed.

"Feeling better now?" He asked her. She nodded and smiled at him. "We haven't had time to talk for awhile. A couple days maybe but that's still a long time."

"Turbine, just say what you want to say." Kaia laughed.

"That ruins the moment." He smiled up at her. "But if I must cut to the chase, I wanted to ask you what color dress you would like to wear on our wedding day."

Kaia blushed a deep red and put her hand over her mouth. "I will wear the traditional white dress, if that is what you wish. But I must have a bouquet of those beautiful red roses." She put both hands on the sides of her face like a happy child.

Turbine gave her that dreamy "Arabian Nights" look that she loved so much. "Of course, whatever you wish for." He took her hand in his and held it as the minutes passed by.

"His oversoul is blowing up!" They suddenly heard Radim shout over the microphone.

"Oh dear." Kaia said looking to the arena as Turbine let go of her hand.

"I guess we better go see what is going on." He said standing up. Kaia grabbed her staff and sidled up beside him. "As much as I would like to stay here." He mumbled before they jogged towards the stadium.

Kaia gasped when they entered the doorway and saw what was going on. Chocolove's oversoul was really blowing up into four great balloons, one on each limb. Everyone watched anxiously, waiting to see what would happen. Tsuchi-gumi had leaped forward to attack before Chocolove could do anything.

"Let's go Mic! Oversoul Ayer's Rock!" He shouted as he bent backwards, combining his balloons of oversoul into one and forming a giant plateau upon the arena.

"What's that?" Kaia asked Turbine.

"Ayer's Rock. A giant rock formation in the middle of the continent of Austrailia. I'll have to take you there one day." He told her.

"What's so funny about Ayer's Rock?" Kaia asked.

"I'm not sure..." Turbine squinted his eyes at the oversoul and then they suddenly widened. "The earth's belly button! Look! He's bending that way to make his belly button look like Ayer's Rock!" Turbine pointed at Chocolove. "Wait, don't look! That's not proper for a maiden to look at." He quickly covered her eyes.

There was laughing coming from the arena, Turbine squinted hard to look. Peyote's puppets were laughing at the bellybutton joke. And so were the Boz! He laughed himself when he saw Peyote trying to command them. They were laughing so hard, his powers didn't affect them anymore.

"Peyote is done, for sure." Turbine said to himself as he took his hands away from Kaia's eyes.

"Dammit you morons! How can you be laughing this much over something like that?! It's sick! You men laughing at something so simple. But why!? I'm controlling them with my spirit power, how can they be laughing!?" Peyote complained.

"It got blown away." Chocolove said from his plateau. "The winds of laughter blows away the misunderstandings of evil." He looked over his own little Ayer's Rock at Peyote. "Somebody like you who doesn't think of others can't make others move." Suddenly, his oversoul exhausted and he flew out of the arena just as Ren jumped in behind Peyote and summoned his spirit, Bason.

"Peyote, watch out!" Kaia shouted but just as Peyote whirled around to face his defeat, Bason blew him out of the protective barrier straight into the spectator's wall.

Radim overlooked the situation and finally decided on the results. "The winner is team The Ren!" He announced as he leaped in the air.

"Hmph. We will go see him in a bit. Right now he needs to be taken to the hospital." Turbine said.

"I'm sort of glad that he lost. Is that a good thing?" Kaia asked him as she followed him out of the stadium.

"Yes. In this situation, it is a good thing that he lost." Turbine replied.

**To be continued in Chapter 19!**


	19. Chapter 19

The sky was maroon with dots of glitter and hazy clouds on the horizon. Kaia loved the night air with a hint of Turbine's incense as they followed the ambulance van through town to the Patch Medical Center. While it took the van only a minute, it took them fifteen minutes to get there. Turbine opened to door and let Kaia in. It seemed that only one person was working at the desk. Most of the other staff must be tending to Peyote and the Boz. Kaia looked around and explored her surroundings from the middle of the lobby as Turbine as the front desk where they could find Peyote. The whole hospital seemed to be built of wood. It was really boring to Kaia. Only the rugs were interesting to her with their Native American designs on them.

"I will wait outside." Kaia told him when they reached the room Peyote was in.

"Alright." Turbine said as he turned the door knob and walked in.

Kaia slunk to the floor, thinking over how she would start her conversation with Peyote. She knew it wouldn't be easy but he had to know that she was very disappointed in him.

"Turbine, just the man I wanted to see." Peyote said depressingly from his bed by the window.

He laid under the sheets, possibly naked. He stared up at the ceiling, emotionless, like a doll.

"Really?" Turbine seemed interested. Why would Peyote want to see him at that moment? The person he should be seeing right now was Kaia. No, he didn't deserve to look upon the beautiful face of Kaia.

"I think Hao is very disappointed in me.

Turbine sighed. He and Peyote had been through a similar conversation before. "What? Isn't this normal?" He stepped into the light the shed through the windows. "Wasn't it the same as last time?" Turbine took his cap off, his dreamy eyes and smile were revealed. If only Kaia could see him. "When I was ordered to kill Yoh and failed because of the X-Laws, Master Hao greeted me with a smile."

"You're afraid?" Peyote asked him, the vile rising in his throat.

"Me? I wasn't sure how Master Hao would react." Turbine squinted his eyes out the window. "But it seems like he doesn't have any cares."

The door creaked open and Turbine turned around to stare into the red-haired goddess' eyes as she popped her head through the door. Peyote looked at her in the corner of his eye.

"You have disappointed her, most of all, Peyote." Turbine said when he signaled Kaia to come in.

"I'm surprised she even came after all the stupid things I said." Peyote stared at the ceiling, cold and hard as if he had no emotions anymore.

"I'm still your friend, Peyote." Kaia came up to the bed and rested her head on the edge of it as she sat on her knees.

He turned his head to look at her. "I'm not worthy. I'm weak." He sounded close to crying.

"I'm weak too, Peyote. But it is my friends who make me stronger." She looked at him with child-like eyes.

"Just tell him Kaia." Turbine urged on.

"Tell me what?" Peyote asked worriedly.

"I'm giving you a second chance to be my friend. But if you ever harm one of my friends..." Kaia lifted up a wad of paper that she had picked up in the hall. It rested in the palm of her hand as she held it up to Peyote's face. It crackled and smoked until it was in flames. His face glowed orange as he watched helplessly as the paper burned in Kaia's small white hand.

"I see. You shall hate me as well." Peyote turned his head to the other side, away from Kaia and Turbine.

"I hate the things you did, not you. But know that I won't tolerate it." Kaia stood up and walked toward Turbine. He nodded in approval at her speech.

"Just friends?" Peyote suddenly asked, still staring out the window.

Kaia looked up to Turbine. She had never felt anymore feelings for Peyote unlike she did for Turbine or Boris, dare she speak of the man? She only wanted to be friends with Peyote, nothing more.

"Just friends, nothing more." Turbine said scornfully. He put an arm around Kaia and issued her out the door.

As Peyote stared out the window at the moon, a bead of clear, salty liquid came from his eye and fell to his pillow. That was the first tear he had shed since his friends died. Another good friend had died and now he and her were "just friends."

**To be continued in Chapter 20!**


	20. Chapter 20

Kaia's stomache growled loudly as she ran down the street carrying a number of grocery bags in both hands. It was way past lunch time and she hadn't eaten yet. Blocken had been working her over since five that morning with no breakfast. It wasn't that they didn't have anything to eat, Kaia just didn't find any time to find something to eat. So as another training session, Blocken sent Kaia out to buy some groceries but there's a catch. She had ten minutes to buy everything on the list and get back in time!

She had had trouble finding one item on the list, the line at the checkout was backed up and she knew it had been well over thirty minutes as she ran back to the boarding house. She knew she was going to fail the test and Blocken would be angry at her. He was so scary! She had never disappointed Blocken before, she hoped he wouldn't be too angry with her.

As Kaia's vision blurred from her tears she didn't see the boy in front of her as she ran right into him, falling back onto her rear. This only made her cry more. She was now filled with feelings of embarrassment, failure and a pain in the butt.

"I'm SO sorry! Please forgive me! I couldn't see where I was going at all. Don't be angry with me." Kaia bawled.

"Don't cry, it was my fault." Said a familiar, kind voice. She heard the bags being picked up. "Let me help you carry these."

She stopped crying and looked into the kind and forgiving face of Hao. "Master Hao?" She studied him closely and took his hand that he offered her.

"I'm Yoh." He grinned. "You must be Kaia."

"Wait! How did you know who I was?" She asked as she scooted back.

"Big Guy Bill told me." Yoh smiled. "I recognized your red hair."

Kaia blushed. Her red hair was a trademark of her's, obviously. Yoh offered his hand to her again, she took it and he helped her up.

"What exactly did Bill tell you?" Kaia asked as she and Yoh walked back to the boarding house.

"He said that you were a nice girl and asked if we made sure you were unharmed." Yoh smiled at her.

"That was nice of Bill." She smiled as she thought of him.

They came to the boarding house that Hao's followers were all now staying at during the tournament. Kaia stopped at the door and turned to Yoh.

"So this is where you're staying?" He asked.

Kaia nodded.

"I'll carry these in for you, if that's alright."

"Um, okay." Kaia quickly said, not thinking of the consequences of a boy coming into the house with her and Turbine seeing him. Especially Yoh Asakura.

Kaia opened the door and entered behind Yoh. She was satisfied to see that Blocken wasn't waiting in the lobby for her. She continued into the dining room, Yoh following her with her bags of burden.

"You're late." Blocken said as he moved a gamepiece on a GO board. He was playing against Basil, Blocken obviously winning. Kaia saw that he had no hands, but instead, lego pieces. That was indeed odd but it escaped her mind as soon as Basil looked up to see her accompanied by Yoh.

"What are you doing with Yoh Asakura!?" Basil suddenly jumped up and shouted.

"He helped me carry the groceries back." Kaia explained.

"You're lucky that Hao isn't here right now." Blocken said as he turned to look at her. "But he must go before Turbine comes down. Thank you very much Basil for announcing that."

"Yeah, thanks." Kaia folded her arms across her chest angrily.

"I guess I'm very welcome here, so I'll be leaving." Yoh said as he put the bags down by the door.

"Thank you so much Yoh." Kaia said to him before he began to walk down the hall. "Good luck in the tournament!"

"No problem!" He smiled back at her. "Good luck to you guys too!" He shouted back before leaving.

Kaia's stomache growled again. She had forgotten about her hunger during the walk with Yoh back home. He reminded her so much of Hao, it was almost not funny.

"Kaia, your next training session is fixing us some dinner." Blocken said as he captured several of Basil's pieces. She sighed and took the bags into the kitchen to start on dinner.

"Why do you make her train harder than me?" Basil asked when he captured one piece of Blocken's.

"Because it is funny." Blocken grinned through his mask. Basil's eyes widened when he saw the two rows of sharp teeth. "No, actually because she needs a lot of discipline. Her powers are activated in a certain way."

"Hm. What's that?" Basil asked.

"I haven't figured it out yet."

Basil's face fell, he was expecting a real answer. "That's nice." He said.

Suddenly, their oracle bells beeped and they heard a loud "CRAP!!" from the kitchen followed by clanging and crashing.

Blocken's arm reached out from his cloak and he checked his oracle bell. "Kaia! Cancel dinner, we have a match at five!"

"But I'm hungry!" She whined from the kitchen.

"Grab a snack, we have to go!" Basil shouted as he put the GO pieces up.

Kaia grumbled as she picked her mess up and made a sandwich. "Stupid tournament, can't even make dinner." She made an extra one and left a note saying "for Turbine." Kaia ate her sandwich and grabbed her staff as they went out the door.

"I knew we should have trained harder." Blocken said as they walked to the stadium. "We needed to increase your furyoku as well. There's just not enough time in the day."

Kaia wasn't paying much attention, eating the last piece of her sandwich. She carried her staff over her left shoulder as she didn't need it for walking anymore. She hoped that Turbine got the message on his oracle bell too so he would come and see her fight. "What team were we fighting again?" She asked Blocken.

"A team called the 'Pixies,' I've seen them before. They're a team of small children like you two and their battle tactic is intimidating the enemy and trapping them." Blocken explained to her.

"Hm." Kaia looked up at the rim of the stadium as they approached it. "I will not fall for their tricks so easily." She hummed.

**To be continued in Chapter 21!**


	21. Chapter 21

Blocken, Kaia and Basil walked up the steps to the platform to be greeted by Radim. Apparently, the other team hadn't showed up yet and he needed someone to interview.

"So I hear you guys are Kodomo-gumi, a sect of Hao's team. Your team name, that means the 'Children Team,' correct?"

"That is correct." Basil confirmed in the microphone.

"Why are you called that?" Radim asked.

"Because we are mere children, duh." Basil said crossly. Radim was taken aback by his own stupidity.

"Do you think you'll win even though you haven't seen your opponent yet?" Radim asked Blocken. He had to squat down to reach his size.

"I cannot say at the moment." Blocken replied.

"What about you, cutie?" Radim blushed as he put the microphone in front of Kaia and fixed his sunglasses.

"I will win as long as you root for me." Kaia winked and waved to the audience. She was overwhelmed with the power of the stage. Basil rolled his eyes and sighed.

"She's full of confidence folks!" Radim shouted.

Hao dropped his binoculars and smiled. "Kaia has a really funny personality. She looks like a young woman but she can sometimes act like such a child."

"She's never been taught how to act. Thanks to Turbine, she is learning." Lucchist said. He sat in the seat next to Hao, a towering black bishop piece with a book.

"I find Kaia's past really interesting. It's a shame she can't remember anything or else she would be searching for _them_." Hao looked through his binoculars again. "Here come the Pixies."

"Has the match started already? Man, I overslept." A boy scratched his head as he came through the archway. He slicked back his short white hair and frowned. "Come on you two."

Suddenly two pale girls came up to either side of the boy. The girls were twins. They both wore silk blue dresses with white bows around the waists and Mary Janes with calf-length white socks. Their hair was so blonde that it was white, almost like the boy's. The girls' hair was pulled up into two ponytails sticking out either sides of their heads.

"They look possessed, like Marion." Kaia said, referring to the Italian girl from Hana-gumi.

"Indeed." Basil inquired. "They hardly look alive." He squinted his eyes at the boy. "But that boy is so much like...Yoh."

Kaia looked at Basil through the corner of her eye. Basil had clenched his fists and his aura was quite angry. Basil hated Yoh Asakura because Hao was obsessed with him. Kaia thought it queer that Basil had such a hatred against Yoh.

Radim ran up to the Pixies when they landed on the last step to the platform. "So where are you three from? Are you their brother? Why are you called the Pixies?" He bombarded them with questions.

"We're from Ireland and we are descendents of Morgana Le Fay." The boy said loudly in the microphone.

"Ah, wasn't she the sister of King Arthur?" Radim asked.

"Damn straight. But she never got the throne. Mordred tried and failed. But now we are going for an even bigger throne and we will rule as a family, as it should have been. The Pendragons will become Shaman King!" The boy raised his fist high in the air. The two girls copied him.

Kaia sighed. "What's the battle plan?" She asked the other two.

"Sit and wait. Evade any attacks until you have studied your opponents' moves. Then unleash all you can on them and destroy them." Blocken ordered.

"Both teams are quite confident! How will this turn out?" Radim pepped up the audience.

"Just get it started already!" Basil shouted.

"Right. 3...2...1, Begin!" He leaped out of the middle of the field.

"What's up shorty?" The boy called over to Blocken.

Kaia looked down at Blocken. He stayed quiet and unnerved even though she thought he would be very irritated by that comment. The Pixies were trying to intimidate and provoke them.

"Too young to talk, huh? Hey announcer dude! Isn't there an age limit in this tournament?" The boy asked.

"Nope, as long as you are a shaman and have passed the Oracle Bell test, anyone is qualified." Radim replied.

"Hm." The boy hummed as he stared at Kodomo-gumi through his orange visors. "What about you girlie? What would you do if a bull came charging at you huh?" He laughed along with some of the audience.

"Just stay quiet, if you get angry they will use that against you. You can concentrate all of your anger later when it comes time to defeat them." Blocken whispered.

"You guys are awfully boring." The boy sighed as he put his hands on his hips. "I was hoping to have a little fun with you guys but I guess I'll have to rush this and destroy you three right away. It's about dinner time and my sisters are hungry." The girls both rubbed their stomaches. "Go, Oberon!" The boy held up a golden leaf in his hand and a golden light flashed out and sped at Kodomo-gumi.

"Evade." Blocken announced quietly so only Kaia and Basil could hear.

When the golden spirit came flying at them, they quickly dashed out of the way at the last moment. Blocken looked about to observe the outcome of their movement.

"Kaia!" He shouted as he saw her being held captive by a goat-human spirit. She had dropped her staff and was basically useless as she struggled in the pungent grip of the satyr.

"Nice job, Puck." The boy smirked. Beside him, one of the girls held up a pink primrose glowing with a pink aura.

"So those are your spirits. I never thought that they could be real." Blocken said as he looked at both Puck and Oberon.

The boy smiled. "Yep, the elf king himself is under my control. His accomplice, Puck is my sister, Miriam's spirit. Katherine, would you mind introducing Titania?"

"No way." Basil stared in awe as a blue figure appeared from the blue flower in Katherine's hand. "This can't be real. That can't be Queen Titania, queen of the fairies!"

**To be continued in Chapter 22!**


	22. Chapter 22

She rose up behind Katherine, a tall blue woman wrapped in shiny blue cloth. Her hair was shimmering silver with a tint of blue and her eyes were crystal clear like water. She was the complete opposite of Kaia it seemed. While Kaia was clad and red, Titania was dressed in blue. While Titania stood tall and free like a queen, Kaia sat being held hostage by Puck like a prisoner.

In retaliation, Basil's hand glowed yellow as he cast it out in the air towards Kaia. She could feel the ground rumble and form underneath her. Puck let go of her and leaped away in fear as Basil's marid lifted her up from the ground. Basil flashed her a smile that she was not meant to see. He wasn't so mean after all.

"Oberon, get them!" The boy ordered pointing at Kodomo-gumi.

The golden man with gold laurels rushed forward at Basil but was swiped away by the riderless marid. Kaia had jumped in the air and was flying at the boy when Titania flew up in the air to meet her with a gracious smile.

"Surrender, my child. You cannot defeat the power of the Pendragons. It has been foreseen in my magical mirror." She said sweet and clear like running water.

"I don't care if you foresaw it or not, I will change that!" Kaia shouted as she raised her staff at Titania.

Titania quickly put her hands straight on in front of her and breathed a fresh breath of winter through her fingers at Kaia.

"Frost based spirit, hm?" Kaia concluded as she focused her energy and burned through the frost attack. "Torch!" Fire erupted from the end of the staff as she hit Titania and flung her back at Katherine's feet.

Kaia recollected herself next to Blocken and Basil. "Well?" She asked both of them.

"They probably still have some tricks up their sleeves. Just watch yourselves." Blocken said to them.

"So, Kaia. You have a fiery oversoul like Hao." The boy said to her shoving his hands into his pockets. "Fight fire with fire, they always say. Oberon, go!"

Oberon rushed forward at Kaia, fists full of fire and fury. Kaia returned the favor, her wooden staff now a large torch as she ran at him. As he threw a punch at her, she ducked and hit below the belt with the torch. Oberon double over as Kaia ran forward at the boy.

"You can't win that easily. Titania told you that you would lose." He smirked as Puck leaped up at Kaia, accompanied by a billion small lights.

"What's that!?" Kaia exclaimed as they began to swarm around her. Puck played a musical note on his pipe and the lights began to attack Kaia.

Kaia fought them off with her staff as she covered her face with her free arm. She suddenly remembered the night that they tied her to the stake and threw things at her. She was starting to get angry at these lights. She peeked out from under her arm and one flew up at her up close.

It was a small human being with pale skin and transparent butterfly wings. Kaia wondered what in the world this thing was!

They began to tug at her hair and as many as she had knocked away, they only multiplied in number. Kaia was getting real ticked off.

"She's letting herself get attacked." Basil said as he watched from afar. "Should I help?"

"No, just watch. She's building tension. This might teach us how to activate her powers." Blocken studied Kaia as she was scrunched up on the ground to protect herself.

"Stupid lights!" She suddenly shouted. Her aura was getting brighter and angrier. "Go away!" She sat up and went aflame. Her whole body was now burning but her clothes weren't catching. The lights that were near fell to the ground, dead, while the others retreated.

"She's spontaneously combusting!" Basil ran forward but Blocken caught his leg.

"This is part of her power." He said to him and watched intently.

Kaia sounded a battle cry as she ran at the boy, holding her burning staff like a sword. His face turned from confident to frightened as she came closer and held the staff up above her head for the blow.

"Stay back, burning demon!" He fell to the ground in defense. Oberon jumped in front of Kaia as she swung her staff, slicing the spirit in half like smoke. The leaf that was in the boy's hand crumbled into dust. "Oberon..." He looked at his hands as the wind blew it away.

Kaia stopped and stared angrily. She had taken one down, and two left to go.

"You destroyed Oberon!" Miriam shouted.

"For that, you must pay!" Katherine and Miriam both jumped up behind Kaia, holding up their flowers. Kaia whirled around in time to be thrown across the arena by Titania's blast of cold air.

"Back her up." Blocken said and Basil summoned his marid in front of the girls.

Titania and the lights were met by the marid and began to attack it continuously. When they destroyed a limb, it quickly grew back. Kaia appeared on top of the marid, crossbow aimed at Katherine's head. Only Miriam saw her and reacted quickly.

"I have the baby!" She shouted and pointed at Puck who had grabbed Blocken by surprise. "If any of you attack, he gets it."

Something shiny reflected in their eyes. Puck held up a knife to Blocken's neck. Kaia and Basil stared helplessly, hoping that Blocken was stronger than everyone said he was.

"I'm not a baby." Blocken growled. "And you two! Don't just stand there watching me! Finish them!"

"But, Blocken..." Kaia started but she saw why he told them to continue.

Blocks began to drop around him and form into a beast. Puck looked around nervously, wondering what was going to happen. The patch of white hair on his head was blown over his face by a ferocious roar from behind him. He slowly turned around to stare into the mouth of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex made of Lego blocks. Puck let Blocken go and disappeared at the spot. The blocks then separated and dropped to the ground as if they once had life in them.

"Wow." Kaia mused as she watched the scene.

"What are you two still doing! Finish them off!" Blocken shouted angrily at them.

Kaia returned to her sniper work and aimed this time at Miriam's head as Basil's marid punched at the attackers who still froze and swarmed the marid to no avail. As she let go of the trigger, she was suddenly hit in the forehead by a light. Kaia flew backwards toward the ground. She frowned as she remembered that it was the same light that had came up to her face earlier. She was going to squash that light, she thought vengefully to herself as she focused her energy on her feet. When she reached the ground she leaped back off of it, leaving smoke behind as she jumped with fire at her feet. The light was waiting for her on top of the marid. Kaia smirked as she came back up to it. Her staff was on fire again but this time, there was something about the butt end of the staff. Her fiery oversoul had shaped a bird's head on it.

"Burn you little light!" Kaia shouted as she smacked it with the bird's head, burning the light on spot. It flew around frantically as it burned and then fell to the ground, dead. Kaia grinned and leaped in the air happily. The bloodthirst of battle was starting to take over.

**To be continued in Chapter 23!**


	23. Chapter 23

"Aaron!" Katherine shouted at her brother who was still moping about Oberon. "What are we to do? They are much too strong for us."

"Let's just give up my sisters. The Pendragons were never meant to be anyways." He said pessimistically as he stared at the ground.

"Aaron..." Katherine gazed at him sadly from the other end of the platform. She looked at Miriam who had dodged Kaia's arrow but in turn, her flower had been destroyed. Puck and the lights were gone. Katherine turned and walked toward the middle of the arena, Titania floating closely behind.

"She's retreating." Kaia observed from the top of the marid.

Katherine knelt down on her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground. "We surrender!" She shouted.

"Ha. That was easy." Basil smirked.

"The Pendragons aren't so big and bad after all. Just a bunch of weaklings." Kaia laughed to herself as the marid melted back into the ground and she walked towards her team.

"The Pixies have surrendered leaving Kodomo-gumi as the winners!" Radim announced as he ran up to the victorious team. "So what did you guys think of the match? You were in some tight spots there but you got through, huh?"

"Thanks for rooting for me." Kaia winked.

"This was a waste of our time." Basil said, putting his hands on his hips as he walked away with Blocken.

Kaia waved and followed them down the steps and back through the stadium doors.

"I never thought that Titania, Oberon and Puck were real. I thought that they were only fictional characters from a book." Blocken said to Basil as they walked back home.

"So you knew who the spirits were?" Basil asked.

"Only when they introduced them. They were characters from Shakespeare's _A Midsummer Night's Dream_." Blocken chuckled. "No wonder they were called the Pixies."

"Those characters...er spirits were pixies?" Kaia asked as she slung her staff over her right shoulder.

"Not exactly. Titania was a fairy which is like a pixie, Oberon was an elf who was in love with Titania and Puck was Oberon's accomplice, a faun." Blocken explained to them.

"What's an elf?" Kaia asked, scratching her head.

"Nevermind. They're defeated, let's just go home and eat." Blocken shoved the conversation off and toddled along the road.

Kaia was going to ask about the block dinosaur she had seen but decided not too since Blocken didn't seem to be in the mood to explain things. She wanted to ask him so much but maybe he would tell her at a later time.

At the dinner table, everyone sat around to eat the delicious meal Kaia had cooked. Fish Pakora, Fried Rice, and Red Bean Salad. All of them were delicious recipes Kaia had learned during their stay in India. Opacho passed Hao the soy sauce, like she did at every meal. Hao loved soy sauce. Kaia watched Turbine as he ate the food, savoring every bite and cleaning his plate. It made her feel appreciated.

"Congrats on the match earlier, you guys." Hao smiled at Kodomo-gumi. "That was awesome." He nodded towards Kaia.

"Thank you, Master Hao." Kaia bowed her head politely.

"What is your training schedule now, Blocken?" Hao asked him with a grin.

"I must increase their furyoku." He stated as he ate.

"Ah." Hao replied as he finished eating. "Kaia, that was one good meal."

Kaia blushed. "Thank you, I'm glad you liked it Master Hao." She grinned.

"May I speak to you in a bit, Kaia?" Turbine asked her quietly under all the ruckus.

"Okay." Kaia said to him and quickly finished her food. She was anxious to talk to Turbine again, she had been so busy training.

He led her up into their room of the boarding house where he shut the door behind her and sat down in the chaise lounge, offering her a seat next to him. She sat down close to him as he put him arm behind her.

"I was really worried about you during your match." Turbine said, addressing the subject.

"You don't need to be, Blocken would have helped us out if we were in a sticky situation." Kaia said as she laid against his side and stared up at him.

"I know." He quickly said. "I just don't want to lose you during the Shaman Tournament."

Kaia felt warm and fuzzy. "I don't want to lose you either, Turbine." She hugged him.

"Tell me, what you would like at the wedding." He said as he stared at the door.

Kaia smiled and thought about it. She had never been to a wedding before but she had seen pictures of grooms carrying their brides and dancing with them. "Red roses. A pretty white dress." She began to list things that she had seen in the pictures. "I want you to carry me to our new home and dance with me under the stars."

"Your dream is so simple." He sighed with a smile on his face.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, sitting up and looking at him.

"Nothing, I only thought you would ask for a bunch of flowers and a big ceremony." He laughed.

"Oh. Well, that would be nice." She laid her head back down on his shoulder. "I want all of our friends to come."

"That's all?" He asked her. She nodded. He smiled thoughtfully down at her. "Kaia, I love you." He said up out of the blue.

She looked up at him, surprised. That was the first time she had ever heard that spoken to her directly by anyone. She didn't know what else to say. "I love you too, Turbine." She smiled as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

They were interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Turbine got up and answered it. It was Blocken, still wrapped in his ochre cloak.

"Is this a bad time?" He asked looking in the room at Kaia on the lounge and back at Turbine.

"Uh, not really." Turbine slowly said, indecisive.

"It is time to increase Kaia's furyoku and I might need your help." Blocken said.

"Alright." Turbine said and turned to Kaia.

She stood in her red leather outfit and holding her staff. "I'm ready." She quickly said, not knowing what Blocken had in plan for her.

**To be continued in Chapter 24!**


	24. Chapter 24

Kaia gasped for breath after she coughed up a puddle of blood. She held her sides as if they would open up and pour her vitals out onto the ground if she let go. She had never been in so much pain before. She didn't think that increasing her furyoku would be this brutal.

Blocken grinned michievously from the sidelines. Every shaman knew that when they were injured or in a near death situation their furyoku would increase. He was anxious to calculate Kaia's furyoku after the match.

Turbine stood beside him, nervously watching as Kaia got battered by Zang-Ching who didn't want to do this either, like Turbine. But both Kaia and Blocken were set on doing this and Turbine had to respect Kaia's wishes. "You can do it, Kaia!" He encouraged her.

She looked up at Zang-Ching when he walked up to her carrying his gong over one shoulder. "Let's just stop. You look horrible." He said worriedly.

Kaia shook her head. "I must go on. I can go on." She struggled to stand on her feet. "Hit me again."

"Che." Zang-Ching opened the corner of his mouth as he slung the gong at her, sending her straight into a rock.

Kaia gritted her teeth until her head stopped throbbing and tried to get back up, using the rock as a support. Her legs gave away under her and she fell back into the sand. She felt weaker then she had ever been but she didn't want to give up. She had to get stronger!

"I can't believe you have the strength to stand up." Zang-Ching said when Kaia staggered back onto her feet.

"I will endure this." She said as tears ran down her face, washing away the blood.

It was hard not to use her powers when she got hit. It was a natural reflex to burn someone's face off when they hit her. She had to concentrate so she wouldn't hurt anyone.

"She looks like she can hardly take it anymore." Turbine said to Blocken.

"I believe so too, but she keeps getting back up." He replied, still smiling. "She's acquiring inner strength."

Kaia coughed up another cup full of blood and fell to her knees, tears and blood running down her face. "I must get stronger." She whispered through all of her pain before she fell facedown in the sand.

"Kaia!" Turbine shouted as he dashed to her side. He turned her over and checked her vital signs. She was still breathing but she was unconscious. "Oh, Kaia." He quietly said as he pulled her close to him in an embrace.

Blocken appeared beside him, checking his oracle bell. "Hm. Her furyoku is steadily increasing." His sharp grin showed through his smiling mask. "It's already at five-thousand."

"What!?" Turbine exclaimed, surprised. "Her furyoku has increased by three-thousand?!" Blocken nodded.

"We better take her to the clinic or something. She doesn't look too good." Zang-Ching said, rubbing his bald head.

"Let's take her back home. The clinic's hands are full anyways." Blocken reccommended as he started to walk up the beach.

Turbine carefully picked Kaia up and carried her as they walked back across the island, back to the boarding house.

Kaia opened her eyes to stare into a pit of darkness with a single grinning smile and two eyes framed by an ugly ochre cloak. She scooted back in surprise, her whole body aching. "Blocken! What in the-" She stopped as she felt a liquid come from her mouth. Blood.

"It's best if you don't move or talk at all for a couple of days." He told her. "But good news, you're furyoku has increased... a lot."

Kaia laid back down, carefully. Blocken checked his oracle bell again, revealing his lego arms.

"Seven-thousand." Blocken said as he pulled his arms back into his cloak. "You have surpassed Turbine."

Kaia stared, wide-eyed at the ceiling. She had wanted to become stronger, and she got that wish. She wondered how powerful she would be when she used this furyoku. "Reiyoku." She whispered.

Blocken checked his oracle bell again. "He always will be at two-thousand five-hundred, Kaia. But that is pretty strong for a spirit such as your's."

She forced a smile. It hurt to move and it strained her body to speak. She was covered in bloody bandages and she didn't even want to think of the gashes under them.

Blocken got up. "I better leave you alone then." He said before he turned to leave.

"Blocken." Kaia said quietly. He turned to face her. "What happened..."

"You fell unconscious." He told her.

"No." Kaia closed her eyes and slightly shook her head. "To you, what happened to you?"

"Please, don't strain yourself." Blocken urged her, ignoring the question. "Just rest for awhile, you'll feel better soon."

The door slid open and Peyote walked in. His red hair had grown longer and he had grown a short beard and mustache. He wore a white muscle t-shirt and that odd skirt piece with the bone designs on it.

"How is she doing?" He asked before Blocken slipped out the door but Blocken trotted down the hallway in a hurry to leave.

Peyote shut the door behind him and stepped through the room to where Kaia was laid out on the floor in the covers. Kaia watched his face, turning from very concerned to a smiling fool.

"What did you do to yourself?" He asked as he squatted next to her. "You're all cut up and bruised." He ran a finger down her cheek, collecting blood on his finger.

Kaia grimaced as he licked his finger.

"Blocken did this to you?" Peyote frowned. "I never did trust him."

Kaia shook her head but stopped when she started to feel dizzy.

"So Blocken didn't do it? What happened? Was this from your match earlier? I'm sorry, I didn't get to come. I just came back from the hospital when I heard that you were hurt." His face changed again. He seemed to have many moods. "I'm sure you did a good job out there." He smiled. "But you would do an even better job if you were my fiance."

Her eyes widened. That's why he came here alone! He wanted to convince her to be unfaithful to Turbine and run away with him. No, she would never think twice about that. "Go, before Turbine comes." She struggled.

"So you can speak?" He grinned. "Turbine isn't here right now. It's just me and you." He bent over to her face.

He was out of his mind, Kaia had to do something to give him a warning. She didn't even have to think about it when a fiery bird flew up and attacked Peyote. It had a beautiful plumage, full of deep reds and hints of blue and orange. There were fancy feathers like a peacock's on the bird's head and its beak and claws were sharp as knives.

"What the hell!?" He shouted as he fought it off and finally ran out of the room.

Kaia breathed a sigh of relief and the bird disappeared. It was her spirit that had saved her from being unfaithful. Why couldn't Peyote just settle with being friends with her, she thought to herself as she tried to fall asleep.

**To be continued in Chapter 25!**


	25. Chapter 25

The bright sun came burning through the window, waking Kaia up. It had been a couple days that she had laid in bed to recooperate. She was sure she could get up and move around by now. Her muscles were sore and it hurt to sit up but she made it without terribly hurting herself. Her body was mostly wrapped in bandages, wearing only a t-shirt and shorts. She used the wall as a support as she stumbled through the hall into the dining room. Several heads turned to meet her gaze as she appeared in the doorway, none of them were Turbine's or Peyote's.

"Where's Turbine?" She asked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

"He went on a mission with Peyote and Zang-Ching to the bridge." Bill told her.

"Kaia, it's best if you rest." Blocken said as he walked up to her.

"I've been laying in bed for days now." She complained when he motioned her to seat down with them.

"What did Peyote say to you when I left?" Blocken asked curiously, sitting beside her at the table.

"Why are you concerned?" She eyed him carefully.

"I think that's why Turbine went with him." He stared absent-mindedly at the table.

It started to come clear to Kaia. Peyote must have said something and Turbine wanted to set him straight. She knew how much they fought and argued in the first place. Things did not look good.

"It's been awhile!" Peyote exclaimed, strumming down on his guitar as Zang-Ching and Turbine walked up to either sides of him.

"Cheh...Why is it you guys again?" Zang-Ching asked.

"This is our mission. Don't complain, Zang-Ching." Turbine said through his veil.

"What!?" Horohoro shouted in surprise.

"What's going on here!?" Chocolove held his head in despair.

"You guys were too slow, no wonder Mariachi is troubled." A Patch official said from the side of the bridge. He stood beside a young Patch boy, Nichrome. They gazed out over the bank of the river at Turbine, Peyote and Zang-Ching.

"It took me awhile to shave off that beard, Magna." Peyote snapped.

Kaia grabbed her staff and stumbled through the house and out the door. Physically, she shouldn't be doing this, she might die but something inside her was telling her to hurry to the bridge. Blocken chased her out the door but was stopped by Bill.

"You can't stop her." He smirked in her direction.

"But she'll get hurt." Blocken said in the doorway.

"With her new furyoku power, she'll be able to take care of herself. I'm sure she'll send for help if she needs us." He assured him.

Blocken watched as Kaia jogged off. He admired her determination. She was really brave to have gone through all that training. It would be a shame if she was to end up like him, she had a lot of potential. Of course, she would only get stronger. He grinned at the thought.

"This is so troublesome." Zang-Ching rubbed the back of his head. "But what to do?" He asked himself as he pulled his gong from the carrier on his back and held it up beside him. "Let's slaughter these kids for lunch. How does that sound, Shion-Shion?" He asked as a giant panda bear spirit appeared behind him. "Take that." He declared, slinging his gong at Chocolove and Horohoro. Peyote held on to his hat as the sudden attack passed by him.

"Holy crap!" Chocolove exclaimed as they jumped out of the way.

"What was that?" Horohoro asked.

"A panda?" Chocolove suggested. "He attacked so suddenly."

"Well, of course. He's not here for the competition." Zang-Ching said. "Don't underestimate him because he looks cute." He smiled. "My oversoul, Dorakuma Neko."

Suddenly, Ren jumped and kicked Zang-Ching square in the face, sending him flying. "This isn't a competition, I totally agree." Ren said.

"I was kind enough to tell you, kid. But you dare bully my Shion-Shion?" He grinned as his nose bled. "I'll make you regret this, Kurakuma Nekote!" He shouted, slinging the panda gong at Ren when he touched his feet to the ground.

Ren's sword became a giant axe-like weapon with a mace club on the other end and he brought it down on the gong and Zang-Ching's face, breaking the gong in half and Zang-Ching's nose.

"You totally agree?" Turbine asked as he appeared behind Ren, surprising him. "Is that all you can do?" His hand wrap with the yellow gem in it began to hum as it charged up with energy. "BEAM!"

A bright yellow beam blasted at Ren, blowing everything up as it hit.

"What a special technique." Ren said to Turbine as he leaped up behind him. "Is that your medium? What spirit is inside it?" Turbine's eyes widened when he realized he didn't blast him to Kingdom Come. "Whatever, I don't care anyway." He said, swinging the Iron Mace at Turbine.

Turbine defended himself with his left arm, preventing him from being impaled on the giant two foot spikes. Pushing himself away from the mace, he retaliated as he brought his right arm out in front of him, charging the yellow gem. "BEA-"

Ren disappeared, and leaped up onto the aura concentration of Turbine, totally avoiding its extreme, mystic power and appearing behind him, slashing at his back with his sword.

"MU!?" Turbine muttered the end of the spell as he was sent flying towards Peyote, who was idley playing on his guitar as the others battled.

Peyote strummed hard on his guitar, his puppets leaping up at Turbine and punching him out of the way. "Don't come flying towards me!" He exclaimed. Turbine landed on the hard rocks on the riverbank. "How embarrassing!" Peyote laughed.

Kaia stumbled and fell to her knees in the forest. She had opened up a gash in her side and it was bleeding through the bandanges and her shirt. She was gasping for breath, her ribs hurt from jogging too much and her feet were cut up and bloody. She shouldn't be out here. She should be resting. But something told her to come. Something was going to happen and she felt that it involved Turbine and Peyote.

**To be continued in Chapter 26!**


	26. Chapter 26

Turbine sat up and grumbled, angry at Peyote. He was glad Kaia wasn't there to have seen that. Then it would have been embarassing.

Kaia had reduced herself to crawling across the forest floor. She wept as she did, the pain was so horrible as she opened up more wounds. She was slowly turning red, bleeding through her bandages. She hoped she would get there in time.

Zang-Ching let out a nasal chuckle. "My nose is broken." He said as he held it, blood running through his fingers. "We'll really enjoy our lunch later, partner."

"Zang-Ching," Turbine said to him as he rejoined him and and Peyote. "It does not make a difference if you have lunch or not."

"But to tell you the truth, I am pretty shocked." Zang-Ching said. "Who would have thought he was so profficient at it." He referred to Ren's movements when he fought with Turbine. "How...How should I say this? I feel that it is such a pity."

"Master Hao knew his potential just by looking at one of his fights." Turbine said. "At the instant he defeated Peyote with one blow, Master Hao saw his potential." He was trying to embarrass Peyote.

"What the hell are you saying?" Peyote snapped. "I was originally too weak to compete." Turbine ignored him. "First things first, I won't admit defeat or lose Kaia to you, Turbine."

"You already have." Turbine replied. Peyote grunted.

"I don't care what you say, you're just a sore loser!" HoroHoro shouted at Peyote.

Kaia came to the cliff that led down to the riverbank only to be splattered by blood. She looked up and saw a giant skeleton holding a sword and Tao Ren flying towards her. She couldn't do anything but cower in the grass, waiting to be hit.

Ren went flying backwards into the short, rocky cliff and then landing facedown on the rocks. Kaia peered through her fingers to see that he was gone and the skeleton stood triumphantly.

"Ara! It pierced through his midsection." Kaia heard Zang-Ching say. "He's done for. His arteries and spine have been sliced in two."

"Seems like he was surprised to hear about Nichrome's brother. Being afraid of what he did, he failed to notice the Grande Phantasma in the river." Turbine concluded.

"Grande Phantasma?" Kaia stared up at it in awe.

"What the hell are you talking about, Tabai?" Peyote asked angrily. "I did exactly what the Chou Senji Rekketsu instructed and hid the pulses of my furyoku."

"Shut up and stop being so fussy, Peyote. It's still your contribution." Turbine scolded him. "To confirm the rights of Tao Ren's soul to Master Hao's invitation, your contribution killed him."

Kaia laid low, surprised they hadn't noticed her yet. Peyote and Turbine didn't seem to be going at it as she had expected. She began to think that coming out here was a waste of her time. She should have listened to Blocken and stayed in bed. She would soon end up like Ren below her, bloody and battered.

All of a sudden, Kaia saw Turbine and Zang-Ching flying backwards because both Chocolove and Horohoro had punched them. She smirked. Peyote had hit their soft spot by killing Ren. She'd be mad too, if someone had killed one of her friends. She frowned at the thought. Turbine had been punched. She had to do something but her body was useless. She watched helplessly as Chocolove swept both Turbine and Zang-Ching up in a whirlwind full of metal claw and then multiplied, leaping to the Grande Phantasma with Horohoro who had formed a sword with his icy spirit. The Grande Phantamsa swung it's blade at both of them, flinging them back towards the ground. She smiled as she saw Turbine and Zang-Ching leap up at them to return the attack.

"Really." Zang-Ching adjusted his glasses on his broken nose. "What was that weak punch? You should have hit us with your oversoul. Sudden attack, Kurokuma Nekote!" He shouted as he swung his gong at them and it clawed at them with its black panda hands.

"That attack wasn't strong enough to finish them." Turbine said as he stiffened his right arm and prepared for his attack. "DIE! BEAM!!"

Kaia covered herself as Turbine unleashed the mystic power onto all of them without knowing that she was there. It was like slow motion as he hung upside down in the air, as high as the forty foot bridge. A thin line of yellow magic shot out from his hand and went off like a bomb when it hit the ground, blasting everything out of its way. When Kaia felt the wind pass from the power of Turbine's beam she looked up to observe a giant ice shield.

"Persistant brats." She muttered remembering how they would not give up during their fight with Tsuchi-gumi.

Zang-Ching slung his gong at both of them again, they weren't expecting it as they flew backwards. "Peyote. Turbine. You must not interrupt me during this fight. If I don't break this trash into bits and pieces, my anger will never be satisfied." He said to them as he threw the gong back at the boys. They were flying everywhere. Zang-Ching was furious, throwing his gong this way and that. There was an exposion caused by his gong and the boys were down, done for.

Kaia's eyesight began to go hazy. She hoped she wasn't dying. Her wounds were terribly bleeding and open, she had no energy left to do anything. Blocken said her furyoku had increased by a huge amount. Maybe she could let off a signal? She didn't want to die now. She hadn't even married Turbine yet. She fought off wanting to close her eyes as she watched the battle intensely.

**To be continued in Chapter 27!**


	27. Chapter 27

Horohoro leapt up at Zang-Ching, throwing a punch. His small hand was caught in Zang-Ching's giant paw. "Your futile attacks won't even scratch me! You should have gone all out if you wanted to beat me!" The split panda gong was now attached to Zang-Ching fist as he brought it down on Horohoro who dangled helplessly from Zang-Ching's hand.

Chocolove jumped in the way, his arm getting slashed. "You better run away Horohoro." He warned him. "If you drain all your furyoku, who's gonna protect Ren?"

"With that puny amount of furyoku, what are you capable of, stupid?" Zang-Ching threw the gong at both of them. When Horohoro was sprawled on his back, Zang-Ching put his foot down on his chest, constricting his air. "With your level of furyoku, you would have died, no matter whom you faced." He pressed down harder on Horohoro. "That puny furyoku value." He muttered.

"Damn! Get your fat leg off of me you fatass!" Horohoro shouted from under Zang-Ching's foot. "Whatever value you're talking about, I don't care so stop lecturing like you know everything, fatass!"

Kaia covered her ears, hoping the bad words would stop.

"Hoho, well said." Zang-Ching looked back at his teammates, still stepping on Horohoro.

"You are a fatass," Peyote said to him as he adjusted the tuning of his guitar. "But you should forgive his ignorance."

"Most competitors don't know that their furyoku can be converted into values." Turbine told them.

"The only people who know the secret of measuring furyoku are the Patch Tribe and those who serve under Master Hao." Peyote said.

"Why? Even shamans have a reason to know their power." Turbine argued.

Yes, Kaia knew her power. Blocken keeps her updated on it all the time. Her furyoku value was seven-thousand. It was a good number but she knew she would never be able to battle Blocken or Master Hao.

"What do you want to say?!" Horohoro shouted at Zang-Ching. "If you have something to say, spit it out!"

"The problem is the difference. You..." He said to Horohoro. "What was your grade for mathematics in school?"

"Twenty-five percent! You have a problem with that!?" Horohoro exclaimed.

"Is that considered good?" Zang-Ching asked.

"It's bad, of course! So what? My brain ain't suitable for mathematics, what I do with my life is my business!"

"That's it." Zang-Ching concluded. "It's all because you had lousy grades, that people think your brain doesn't work. Whether you can achieve anything in life depends on the "first impression" you leave on others. Things like numbers determine which side you stand on. Report cards, company results, salary, a woman's three sizes. Bringing up these numbers, one can't help but lose confidence in the face of reality. Everytime I stood on a weighing scale, I gave up my dream of becoming a pop idol."

"Who cares?! What are you trying to say!?" Horohoro shouted at him.

"There's a saying, 'When one becomes an adult, they'll see their own limits.'" Peyote said pushing his sombrero up.

"Once you step into society, the time will come when you discover how much you're worth, whether you want it or not. Then you'll see your limit, and eventually stop growing." Turbine added.

Their words began to fill Kaia's mind. She never knew that the world judged you by so many little, uneccessary things. She knew that the world could be cruel, Turbine told her of many other horrible things they do. He also told her that she could do better than the world because she was worth the world. There was no way Kaia could stop because of her philosophy she had learned as a child. _People shouldn't be weighed down by regrets and burdens. Be free as a bird. Wild as fire._ With this mind set, nothing could bring down Kaia. Numbers meant nothing to her.

"For shamans, furyoku is the 'power to think.' However, nothing is as frail as the 'power to think.' The Patch Tribe hopes that the Shaman King will be one who possesses great furyoku. No matter how weak a shaman is, we'll see to it that he reaches his destiny. Thus, we rule out the possibility." Nichrome said from the bridge. "However, there will be examples of those who grow extra-ordinarily quick."

Kaia saw Nichrome's eyes meet her's. She knew right away she had been caught but she ducked down anyways. He didn't seem to mind as he gazed back down at Horohoro, still being stepped on by Zang-Ching.

"Even though your furyoku levels are only about two-thousand, it'll be interesting to see how you fare against Master Hao." Nichrome smirked.

Zang-Ching quickly kicked Horohoro at Chocolove, sending them further across the rocks. "Did you lose your will to fight," He said as they stayed where they landed. "So that you can't even stand up?" He sighed. "My stomach's growing hungry." The chains began to whip around. "There's no use in playing with them anymore. Slaughter them." He commanded his gong. "Goodbye!"

"You better not." A voice said from behind Zang-Ching on the river bank. Everyone froze in place. "If they were to die, don't think you can live through this."

"Master Hao!?" Zang-Ching slowly turned around.

**To be continued in Chapter 28!**

* * *

**Yeah, I don't see the real point in the last couple chapters at all. I mean, they're useless. Not really exciting. I think they all need to shut up and kill them already. But this is my adaptation of what happened in Chapter 152, don't believe me, go look it up at . You'll notice that some of my chapters actually happened in the manga as well, while some are just fillers that I absolutely hate but they build up the climbing action to the climax. It'll get better soon, trust me. Maybe you shouldn't go read the manga, it would spoil the story. But if you already have, oh well. I'll surprise you anyways. -Coke head**


	28. Chapter 28

"Phew! Thank goodness you guys are alright. Ren will not die." Yoh said before he ran at Turbine, Peyote and Zang-Ching, katana and dagger drawn.

His furyoku gathered and bound the two swords together into a giant oversoul.

"Guys! Run!" Kaia suddenly yelled from the cliff as Yoh ran at them with the giant sword. She was much too late or they were too stunned to react as Yoh swung the sword at all three of them and the Grande Phantasma, throwing them across the bank. She gathered all her strength that she had once thought was gone and dashed down the cliff, landing at Turbine's side. "Turbine!" She tried to rouse him. He was breathing steadily and his eyes fluttered.

"How did you know we were here!? Asakura Yoh!" Nichrome shouted from the bridge.

"I followed a blood trail that Kaia left behind." Yoh said as he walked up to Ren who laid dead on a rock.

Kaia's face went white. She had intervened by leaving a trail. She caused the failure of their mission. She knew she shouldn't have came here.

Turbine reached up and touched her face. "What...what are you doing here?" He whispered.

"I was worried." Tears came to her eyes as she laid her hand on his hand.

"About what, Kaia?" He asked, sitting up.

Kaia began to sob, she was overwhelmed by pain and regret. "You and Peyote." She choked.

"I'm alright." Turbine patted her back as she cried on his shoulder.

"Am I going to die?" She whispered.

"No, Kaia." He told her. He didn't know why she was speaking of such crazy things. "Let's go home."

"Hey! What are you guys doing, standing there and looking dazed!" Nichrome shouted. "Hurry up and kill this guy!!"

Turbine stood up and swept Kaia off her feet as he joined Peyote and Zang-Ching on the bank.

"Sorry, Nichrome." Zang-Ching pushed his broken glasses up his nose.

"No more, no more. Our furyoku strength is no match for this opponent." Peyote said, wiping a drop of blood from his face.

"Hah. I didn't expect two people to be so alike." Turbine looked at him through his messy hair. His nose bled slowly from Yoh's attack.

They all walked away, beaten and bruised. Kaia was in a worse case as Turbine tried to keep her awake as they walked. He feared if she went to sleep, she would never wake up again from the severity of her wounds.

"I knew I shouldn't have came." She mumbled, her hair clinging to the blood and tears streaked across her face.

"It was best for you to stay home and rest." Turbine instructed.

"Yoh probably wouldn't have spared you guys if I wasn't there." Kaia remembered Bill's request to Yoh. "I hurt really bad, Turbine." She winced and held her stomach as Turbine carried her.

"We'll be there soon." He assured her.

She slowly closed her eyes when he wasn't looking and drifted off into a crimson sleep. She dreamt that she was running across the desert again and looked across to Turbine, who wasn't there. Like deja vu, the Spanish accent told her to keep going. She stumbled as the ground rose beneath her into a circular platform like the arena's. Blood splattered everywhere and she heard shouting. She couldn't move her legs or scream as she was almost trampled on by some shadowy beast. She was laid out, face-down on the ground as it rained blood. Just then, a small figure came out of the mist and offered her their hand. Hard plastic. It wasn't soft and warm like a real hand. And it was rectangular. She looked up into a smiling face, smeared with blood. She was frightened but the person's, or thing's aura told her that it was okay to follow them.

Kaia woke up in the same room she had been in for the past several days. The boring wooden paneling and floors. There was no life to this room. No fueng shui. It almost made her puke. She looked around as she laid in the covers, she was alone. She could've sworn someone was holding her hand. Wait, no that was a dream. She tried to remember the face, so scary and ominous. The aura was warm and strong like it could protect her. As she thought about the figure, she pulled her hand out to look at it out of curiousity. She gasped when she saw the imprint in the palm of her hand. A rectangle! It came down from her index finger, cornered in the middle of her palm and ended at her ring finger. That figure was here! Holding her hand!

She was excited and scared at the same time because her dream was real and that scary but strong person had been there with her to bring her out of the chaos.

The door slid open and Turbine walked in. Kaia had been expecting that smiling figure but she was also happy to see Turbine too. He smiled at her and sat down next to her on the floor.

"Why did you come to the bridge anyways?" He quickly asked.

"I was worried. I had a feeling that you and Peyote would fight." She said sadly.

"Why? Why would he and I fight?" He asked her.

"Because," Kaia thought if she should tell him or not. Yes! She should tell him. "Because Peyote came here when I was first injured and was talking about me being his fiance. He tried to kiss me and then Lavaine attacked him."

"Are you sure he did this?!" Turbine exclaimed as he jumped up. Kaia nodded. Turbine turned and stomped out the door.

She was worried as she heard Turbine calling Peyote's name through the house. Had she started the fight in fear of it? How ironic, she thought. Hopefully, he'd let Peyote off with a warning. She prayed everything will be fine.

**To be continued in Chapter 29!**


	29. Chapter 29

Turbine slammed Peyote up against the wall, his eyes full of fire and Peyote was left clueless. "What did you do to Kaia?" He growled in his face.

"I didn't do anything to her but love her." He looked at him straight-faced.

Turbine threw him down on the ground and leaped up on him. "Did you touch her?" He asked as his hands wrapped around Peyote's neck.

"I tried to but something attacked me." He gasped.

"You son of a-" Turbine muttered as the back door slid open and Blocken stepped out onto the wooden porch. Turbine and Peyote both looked at him.

"Ah, you two are fighting." He said and turned to go in.

"Blocken! Wait!" Turbine yelled after him. He stopped and waited for Turbine to explain. "Were you there the day Peyote came to see Kaia?"

"Turbine, he left when I came in." Peyote told him as he laid under Turbine's weight.

"Yes, I left. But I would rather not get involved in this." Blocken said.

Turbine turned back to Peyote. "I better not see you around her ever again." He growled and got up, grabbing Peyote's wrist and pulling him up.

Peyote grunted gratefully and turned away as Turbine and Blocken walked back through the door. "Turbine is always in the way." He said to himself. "But how can I get rid of him?" A mischeivous smile spread across his face.

Turbine followed Blocken down the passageway to Kaia's room. He wanted to tell her about Peyote. She can't be his friend anymore. It would hurt him to tell her but it was for the best. Nothing was going to get in their way of love.

"Her furyoku has increased tremendously since last I checked, only awhile ago." Blocken said to him as they walked down the hall. "She really surprises me how she can cling on to life like she has."

"Like you have." Turbine said suddenly, making Blocken stop in his tracks.

"Who told you that!?" He demanded.

"Master Hao told me." He simply replied.

Blocken sighed. "Just please, don't tell Kaia or anyone else for that matter." He continued to toddle down the hall. "It's rather embarrassing."

Blocken slid open Kaia's door to find an empty room. Turbine peeked in and his mouth dropped.

"Where could she have gone?" He asked Blocken as he entered the room and looked around, checking under mats and in closets.

"She couldn't have gone far." Blocken said.

"I bet it was that damn Peyote." Turbine growled. "He can't stand that we're engaged."

Blocken stood in the doorway, motionless. He observed the scene, trying to come up with an answer as to why Kaia wasn't there.

She has been rendered immobile for a couple of weeks and can only walk to the bathroom if she can summon enough energy. He highly doubted that Peyote would have taken her, someone would have noticed. Her blanket was still laying on the ground, as if she had gone to the bathroom. That must be it, she went to the bathroom.

"Blocken. Were you looking for me?" Kaia asked from behind him.

He turned to see her gripping her stomach, leaning against the wall. She had a fake smile on her face.

"I was too!" Turbine called from inside the room. He soon appeared at the door.

"Kaia, what were you doing?" Blocken asked as he took her by the hand. Those hands! Kaia remembered the hard plastic rectangles from her dream. "Don't you know you should be resting?" He and Turbine helped her back onto the floor.

"Blocken, you were in my dream!" She exclaimed. "It all makes sense now." She thought for a moment. "Well, somewhat."

"What were you doing not resting as I had asked?" Turbine asked.

"I went looking for you and Peyote. I heard a bunch of noises and it worried me." She frowned. "What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about but you can't be friends with Peyote anymore." Turbine brushed her hair back out of her face.

"Why not?" She asked.

"Because he'll only get in our way. He doesn't want us to get married." Turbine told her. Kaia frowned.

"So, I was in your dream?" Blocken asked to re-direct the conversation.

"Yeah," Kaia smiled. "I'm sure it was you. You held my hand."

"What!?" Turbine asked in a flurry as he quickly spun around to face Blocken.

Blocken scooted back in surprise. "It was just a dream Turbine." He stuttered.

"Was it, Kaia?" Turbine turned back to her.

"Yes." She said. "Don't get mad at Blocken. He didn't do anything."

Blocken nodded in agreement, afraid for his life.

"You're right." Turbine swallowed his anger. "I'm sorry but Peyote has really angered me."

"Don't let him get to you. I won't let him come on to me." Kaia patted Turbine's hand. "I know my virtues as a wife, and I will stay faithful to you." She gazed up at him lovingly.

"Kaia." Turbine sighed with a dreamy smile on his face.

"Uh...Excuse me." Blocken said as he got up and left, shutting the door behind him. He sat out in the hallway, thinking about how he had almost got caught. As young as Kaia was, her knowledge surprised him. A normal girl her age knows nothing about virtues and marriage! How can she know so much if Turbine hadn't taught her that? He wanted to know why Kaia was the way she was. He would try to ask Master Hao about it.

**To be continued in Chapter 30!**


	30. Chapter 30

It was dark in Hao's room as Blocken slipped in through the door. There was just the small luminous candle that sat in front of Hao, giving the illusion that his face was glowing like a saint's. He sat crosslegged in the middle of the room, his poncho reached out around him, making him look like a large mountain.

"Ah, Blocken. You came to see me?" Hao smiled. "Sit."

Blocken walked up and sat down on the other side of the candle, opposite of Hao.

"You have many concerns, but what particularly did you come to ask of me?" Hao asked as if he knew all.

"Master Hao, I wanted to ask you about Kaia. She's not like any ordinary girl or shaman. She's young but she has the knowledge of a grown, educated woman. I want to know more about her and understand her." Blocken told him.

Hao chuckled. "I was wondering when you would finally ask that. Have you seen Kaia's spirit?"

"Yes, I've seen it in her oversoul once and she's talked about him. It's a bird." Blocken replied.

"Not just any bird. You know of the pheonix right?" He asked.

"Yes, the mythical bird of fire. Is that her spirit?"

Hao nodded. "He is named Lavaine. The only existing pheonix. Like me, he gains knowledge through every reincarnation. I guess she had been endowed with his spirit to have obtained him, and through her he gains even more knowledge."

"By chance, does he share this knowledge with her?"

"Yes. I don't know exactly what or how much knowledge that Kaia has learned from Lavaine. That's why she knows about womanly virtues, because Lavaine has taught her."

"Hao, Lavaine hasn't learned anything about me, has he?"

Hao smirked. "What is it that you don't want Kaia to find out?"

"Eh...well...I'd really rather her not know anything about our past." Blocken mumbled.

"She will learn of it, but there is nothing to hide. But let me tell you a secret about Kaia and her past." Hao leaned over and stared into the darkness of Blocken's hood.

Turbine held his head up with his hand as he laid on his side next to Kaia. She was sound asleep, peaceful as a baby. He had whispered to her tales of desert miracles and ancient myths that he had heard from his fore-fathers. He smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead before laying down himself. He was looking forward to his married life with Kaia. He could see his daily life with her now as he closed his eyes.

She'd do the housework and look after the children like the stereotypical wife would while he brought home the money and the love for his family, as a stereotypical husband. He wondered what the children would look like, whether one of them would have red hair or not. He smiled at the thought of a bunch of red heads. And the nights he'd spend with her! Turbine rolled over closer to Kaia and wrapped his arm around her. Nothing was going to get in the way of fulfilling his dream, he thought as he kissed her forehead again.

"Mohammed," She called him by his real name. "Tell me about Jin." She asked sleepily with her eyes still closed.

Turbine smiled as he buried his face in her red hair. "Ah, Jin, the genie. He has lived for thousands of years in the Sands of Time and he listens to his master's commands one-hundred percent, granting every wish he makes."

"Where does his magic come from?" She asked as she turned in her sheets to look at him.

"Um, I'm not exactly sure. They are magical beings themselves. No one has really asked a genie that." He told her.

"The next time I see Jin, I will ask him." Kaia smiled. Turbine smiled back.

"Kaia, what if we both resigned from the tournament?" He suddenly asked as the idea came to his head.

"But our teammates are counting on us." She said.

"But we could go and get married. We wouldn't have to wait until the end of the Shaman Tournament to get married. I'll go ask Master Hao now, if you'd like."

"Mohammed." Kaia giggled. "You're so anxious." She said as she ran her hand through his hair. "But we'll also have to ask Blocken, Basil, Bill and Zang-Ching."

"Forget about them. It's just us." Turbine said as he drew her closer. The idea of resignation had sparked him. The dream he longed for could come true sooner than he had expected.

Blocken exited Hao's room and jogged awkwardly down the hall until he suddenly stopped by Kaia's room. Basil stood at the door, waiting for something to happen.

"Basil, she's injured. Do you wish to see her?" He asked him.

Basil suddenly turned to him angrily. "NO! Why would you think that?!"

"Nevermind. Why are you here anyways?"

"None of your business." Basil turned back angrily and peered through the paper screen.

Blocken joined him and saw both Kaia and Turbine's shadowy figures laying next to each other. "Why are you spying on them you perverted boy?" Blocken whispered with a chuckle.

"You're doing the same thing." He snapped. "I was just curious as to why Turbine was with her."

"They're engaged, Basil." Blocken stated bluntly.

"They are?" He asked, surprised.

Blocken turned away and walked down the passage way, Basil soon trailing behind him, taking short strides to keep up with him.

"How long have they been in engaged?" Basil asked.

"I don't know."

"When are they getting married?"

"I don't know."

"Is she still going to be on the team?"

"I don't know Basil." Blocken growled. "You need to stop asking questions if you really don't care about the subject."

"I don't!" Basil argued. He gritted his teeth as he followed the small cloaked figure. Since Kaia had been unable to train, Blocken has come down hard on him with training. He was looking forward to using his power on Yoh Asakura but Blocken keeps discouraging him, telling him that he was not strong enough. Basil was going to show him. He was better than Yoh, he was all Hao needed to do the job.

**To be continued in Chapter 31!**


	31. Chapter 31

Kaia opened up her eyes to find herself alone in the dark. She pulled the covers up to her chin and waited for sleep to call her back. Her whole body was numb, it felt like a giant bag of rolling sand, pricking the inside of her muscles. It would be difficult to fall asleep now as she tossed and turned in bed. She was wide awake and even more alert as her body suddenly felt warm and alive, her skin glowed a lively orange.

"Lavaine, are you awake also?" She asked as she sat up in bed.

"Yes, hatchling." A voice said from deep inside her. Kaia blushed when she was called that as she looked down at her naval, the brightest part of her body.

"I have that feeling again." She said as she put her hands to her flat belly. "Something is going to happen."

"I felt it too. But do not be alarmed. It is best for you to stay here rather than go to scout it out."

"But..." She objected.

"I have always told you to follow your heart but you must also follow your mind. Everyone but you is asleep in the house, if you go now, you might die."

"You're right." Kaia nodded. She pushed the blankets back with her feet and stretched her legs. "Lavaine, do you have any new information?"

"Yes, hatchling. Tao Ren has been revived by the X-Laws but in turn, Askaura Yoh has resigned from the Shaman Tournament."

"What!?" Kaia's face tightened with surprise. "Those darn X-Laws, I'm sure they had him in a tight bind." She growled. "Master Hao is worried for sure."

"Actually, he's not at all worried. It seems to me that he suspects Yoh to be joining again soon."

"Master Hao is interesting." Kaia whispered. "He never seems to care, he's always in a good mood."

"Sometimes it is best to be optimistic, rather than worrying about everything in life."

Kaia nodded, comprehending the knowledge. "It's hard to always follow your advice."

"I believe it is hard for a human to follow advice, it is their nature to act on their will."

"Turbine says that humans are destructive and power hungry." Kaia said, lowering her eyes.

"Yes, they can be. I have observed humans a lot during my time and many are tyrants but there are humans who care, like your fiance. He took you in and cared for you, beyond what I could do as your spiritual ally."

Kaia smiled. "Yes, Turbine must really love me to have done so much for me." She hugged herself and pulled the blankets back up to her chin as she laid back down. Her body still glowed orange through the white blankets.

"And you love him, yes?"

"I think so. Although I do not understand what love is." She said, rolling onto her side.

"It is hard to describe. It can be a number of emotions that you humans get. Love is when you care for someone, like Turbine cared for you. It can also be the attraction of one to another, like Peyote or Boris." Kaia frowned. "But I trust that you are making the right decision by marrying Turbine."

"Yes, Lavaine." She smiled. "You taught me my virtues as a girl and then my duties as a wife. I understand what my job is but some things don't make sense to me." She yawned and stretched her arms.

"We will talk about all these things later, hatchling. Right now I think you need to get some sleep." The orange glow began to fade out slowly.

"Good night, Lavaine." Kaia hummed as she closed her eyes.

"Good night, hatchling." The voice said before the room went dark again. Other than the snoring from the other rooms in the house, it was completely quiet. Just the way Basil wanted it when he snuck out to find Yoh Asakura.

The old street lights in town set a scary light about everything as Basil casually walked towards the boarding house that Yoh was staying in. He was not scared as the shadows moved around him, watching him. He was determined to defeat Yoh Asakura. Something slithered over his foot, making him stop to look around. It was too dark to see what it was. He shrugged and walked on, hands shoved in his pockets. Nothing was going to stop him from defeating Yoh Asakura, even if it was attacking him in his sleep. Tonight would be the night, he thought, he will make Master Hao very happy.

Basil stared up at the window that was Yoh's room. He had watched him often sitting in it and looking out over the island. All he had to do was get up there. He smirked as his hand glowed yellow and the ground gathered up into a being under him, raising him up to the window. He hoped it wasn't locked, but there were ways to get around that too. Surprisingly, it was unlocked as he lifted it up from the outside and crawled in. Yoh was really laid back to have not worried about locking his window. You may never know what could get in. Basil's marid disappeared back into the ground when his master was in the house.

The light of the moon was all that supplied light in Yoh's room. Basil waited for his eyes to adjust as he quickly thought of a way to kill Yoh. Luckily, he had brought a knife with him in case his marid couldn't do the job. There was Yoh's bed, but he wasn't in it. Basil's heart skipped a beat. What if Yoh walked in on him? He'd be found out and utterly destroyed. A big failure, a disgrace to Master Hao.

The door opened and Yoh walked in wearing his pajamas. He rubbed his eyes and stared angrily at Basil who was frozen against the wall in fear. "Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" He asked.

Basil gulped. He needed immediate action but his mind was not working fast enough. The worst had happened and now he was caught, good as dead. Oh, if he survived this Hao would kill him anyways, he thought to himself as he looked for an answer.

**To be continued in Chapter 32!**


	32. Chapter 32

"Oh yeah, I remember you now." Yoh pointed at him. "You're Basil from Kodomo-gumi, one of Hao's teams right?"

"Uh, yeah." Basil muttered as he reached behind him.

"You're Kaia's teammate." Yoh grinned. "How is she doing?"

"Just fine." Basil muttered as he walked up to Yoh, the moonlight catching on something shiny behind his back.

"That's good." Yoh said happily. His face changed to surprise as Basil came up and hugged him. "Wow, what...?"

"Thank you, Yoh, for sparing Kaia." Basil said as he wrapped his arms around Yoh's mid-section.

"Oh, no prob-" Yoh stopped when he felt something sharp against his back and he pushed Basil down. "Were you just trying to kill me?!" Yoh exclaimed as Basil held the knife visibly in his hand.

Basil clenched his teeth as he heard running through the hall outside the room. His plan wasn't working out so well, it was time to take drastic action. He stood up and leaped back out the window, jumping down the roofs and landing safely on the ground.

"Hey wait!" He heard Yoh shout before he appeared in the window.

"What happened Yoh?" A voice asked inside the room.

"Are you okay?" Another one asked.

Basil squinted angrily. Now his friends were there to help him. Basil summoned his marid in the yard as Yoh crawled out of the window in his pajamas.

"I don't know what you're trying to do, Basil but you're not getting away with it." Yoh said as he pulled the sheath off of Harusame.

The marid came forward and punched at Yoh, who quickly dodged out of the way, being blown across the yard by the shear force of the punch. Yoh came back and slashed its arm off only to be thrown across the yard by a newly regenerated arm.

"He has a regenerating spirit." Yoh said to himself as he gathered himself.

"Yoh! Do you need any help dude!?" Horohoro shouted at him from the window.

"No guys! I can handle it." Yoh replied and rushed forward at the marid, leaping at its feet and up to its head.

It was a slow mechanical spirit as it slung at Yoh when he flew up. Basil grimaced when he saw through Yoh's attack.

"That won't do, Yoh." He said as a bright light flashed from the marid's middle and blinded Yoh. The mirror that was inlaid inside the marid's belly was reflecting the moon's light and with a little bit of furyoku, made a powerful blinding light.

"There's just no beating this guy." Horohoro muttered as he and the others watched from the window.

"Yoh will run out of furyoku soon." Ren smirked.

"Die!" Basil shouted as his marid went forward and was going to punch at Yoh with both arms.

"Evil shall not exist in this world." A girlish voice said from the gate.

Basil's eyes widened as a pain shot through his chest and blood spewed from his mouth. He looked down and saw a crystal attached to a string coming from his chest. "What?" He muttered with a mouthful of blood. It quickly retreated back through his chest leaving a bloody hole.

The marid melted into the earth as Basil fell from the top of the world. Yoh ran forward and caught him, laying him down on the grass.

A boy with green hair and a white coat walked up and knelt down on the opposite side of the dying Basil, across from Yoh. It was Lyserg wearing the X-Laws uniform. Basil shuddered as he realized that he was going to be killed by an enemy of Hao, the X-Laws.

"Yoh." He whispered. "I hate you."

Yoh looked down at him with a serious face. "Why?"

"Master Hao is obsessed with you and... I think I was jealous."

"Hao is evil. There shall be no mercy for his followers." Lyserg preached uneccessary damnation. "But you may still atone for your sins."

"I would have liked... I would have liked to tell Kaia that I thought of her as a... friend." Basil smiled.

"I will tell her." Yoh nodded.

"I still hate you." Basil grinned evilly before he closed his eyes and his breathing stopped. The blood still flowed into the green grass.

"Thanks Lyserg." Yoh said sternly, still mourning Basil's death. "What are you doing out here anyways?"

"I happened to be taking a walk and heard some commotion over here." Lyserg explained.

"Help me get him on my back." Yoh said. Lyserg picked the body up and lifted it onto Yoh's back. "I bet they must be worried about him."

"I wouldn't waste my time." Lyserg said before Yoh started off to the gate.

"Someone needs to tell them." Yoh said disappearing through the gate.

There was a knock on the door and it stirred little Opacho from her sleep. She toddled through the hall towards the door to answer it.

"Hey Yoh!" Opacho gleamed. She frowned when she saw the blood on Yoh's night shirt.

"Basil is dead." Yoh said. Opacho saw the pasty face of Basil peering over Yoh's shoulder. It frightened her terribly.

"Who is it, Opacho?" Hao asked as he stumbled through the hall. "Ah, Yoh. You brought Basil back."

"Is Kaia awake? I wish to speak with her." Yoh said when Hao allowed him to enter, taking Basil off of his back.

"She is sleeping but I will tell her that you stopped by." Hao smiled.

"I am sorry about Basil..." Yoh stared down at the corpse as it bled on the wooden floor.

"It is a shame. His soul would have made an excellent meal for the Spirit of Fire." Hao gazed down at it. "But I can always get more somewhere else."

Yoh gazed angrily at Hao. He was heartless and didn't care that his friend was dead. He turned away and left out the door, he couldn't stand to be in Hao's presence anymore.

Hao turned to the corpse on the floor with a smirk. "You may have a midnight snack now, Spirit of Fire." He opened his arms wide as a giant fiery spirit with antlers appeared above him, picking up the corpse and swallowing it whole with jagged teeth like a Megalodon shark.

Kaia woke up with a start the next morning to hear running through the halls. The morning light came through the windows, filling Kaia with a vibrant energy. She felt better now but she probably couldn't move around as much. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. That worried feeling was gone now but she wondered what in the world was going on in the house.

Suddenly the door slid open as Blocken and Turbine appeared. Turbine had a saddened face while Blocken wore the same creepy smile.

"What's going on?" Kaia asked in bed.

"Kaia, I'm really sorry to tell you this." Blocken started as he stopped in the middle of the room. "Last night, I found that Basil was not in bed and this morning Hao has informed me that he died last night in battle."

"What?!" Kaia's eyes widened. Her heart was racing, her blood seemed to stop flowing as she felt cold.

Turbine rushed forward and got on his knees to hug her. "Shush, it's okay. He's with the Great Spirit now." He tried to comfort her.

"It can't be...Basil's dead?" Kaia wept uncontrollably. Turbine nodded in reply and held her tighter.

**To be continued in Chapter 33!**

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**I see Yoh x Basil as a funny couple. Hahaha XD**


	33. Chapter 33

The cool summer breeze dried Kaia's tears as she stood silently before the small wooden cross. She pushed back a lock of red hair behind her ear and laid the white lily down by the cross. It was so nice of Blocken to have set up a memorial for Basil, she thought to herself as she gazed down at it. He had found a small clearing in the woods and set it up in an attempt to make her happy. The old military base that they now resided in had been really gloomy since Kaia was able to walk around. Her wounds had healed really fast thanks to her shaman powers but she was still limited in physical activity. It really didn't matter to her anymore, she had lost a friend and a teammate. As a result, her team was disqualified from the Shaman Tournament for not having an efficient amount of team members. She had worked so hard to get to where she was. Stupid rules, she thought. It wasn't fair that she had lost Basil and her friendship with Peyote. It wasn't fair that she and Blocken couldn't compete anymore. Nothing was fair right now.

Kaia smeared the salt across her cheeks and wiped her hands on her slim white dress. Turbine came up from behind her and wrapped an arm around her. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded in reply. He smiled, happy to see her wearing white for once. He then led her out of the clearing and on the path back to the base.

I've always wanted to be stronger, Horohoro thought to himself as he remembered what Nichrome had said.

_"Your furyoku is at most around two-thousand. It would be interesting to see how you fare against Master Hao."_

Hororhoro clenched his fists. "I must!" He growled through gritted teeth. Suddenly there was a loud, mechanical noise behind him. "What the-! That was irritating. To make such a loud noise." He slowly turned around to see what it was and froze in terror.

A giant, muscular man in blue, white and red armor stood valiantly along the seashore. He wore spiked shoulderpads and kneepads, obviously a football player. Atop his shoulder sat a small cloaked figure that smiled like a masquerade mask.

"Big Guy Bill!" Horohoro muttered under his breath. He rushed to the side of the cliff overlooking the shore. "What are they doing here?" He asked himself quietly.

"Once the Shaman Fight begins, there is no way to revert back to your normal life." Big Guy Bill smiled through his football helmet. "What the Patch Tribe said is true afterall, you guys won't be leaving this island. The Shaman Fight is a game of survival. There's no way you can go back home, meaning this. Your souls will be presented to Master Hao." Big Guy Bill pointed at the Ice Men who stood on the shore by the crash of a boat. A bunch of human spirits appeared around Bill, they were football players too, like him.

"Pino!" The girl from the Ice Men cried out.

"I don't know, Zoria." A blonde man told her. "I didn't think we would be able to leave so easily. But to be targetted by Hao's men... we have really bad luck."

"What are those guys doing still standing there!?" Horohoro watched intently. "It'll get ugly if we don't do something, come on Kororo!" He started to rush forward with his spirit.

"Our combined furyoku is two-hundred thousand." Big Guy Bill stated. Horohoro stopped in his tracks. "I have forty-thousand, this guy has one-hundred sixty-thousand." He pointed to the figure on his shoulder. "Blocken, I think we should tell them their furyoku count too, so they won't struggle pointlessly."

"I agree, Bill." Blocken said, slightly turning to Bill.

"What count?" Pino asked impatiently. "Let's hurry up and get this over with!"

"Hey! Hey! Pino, look!" The big ship-man said and pointed to Blocken. "That guy's body, it can't be his real body."

Blocken had drew up his cloak and was looking at his oracle bell. His body was not normal at all. His body seemed to be made up of different colored squares and rectangles like a lego person. He crossed his lego legs as he calculated the Ice Men's furyoku count.

"I don't care, it's probably a medium. Maybe it's the Big Guy's spirit or something." Pino suggested.

"How impolite of you, small fry. I'm a contestant too." Blocken drew his arms back into his cloak.

"Huh!? Who's a small fry?" Pino shouted.

"Due to certain undisclosed reasons, I lost my body so I adjusted this body as a medium and used an oversoul to sustain myself." Blocken explained his oddity. "However, this is why I have such an enormous amount of furyoku. As for Big Guy Bill, his furyoku rose immensely after getting attacked by the X-Laws a long time ago. Zoria, twenty-two thousand, Pino Graham, twenty-four thousand, Tona Kajimahide, twenty-three thousand." He listed their furyoku off one by one. "With such a big difference in furyoku, I think it's perfectly correct for me to call you small fries."

Horohoro fell in the grass, utterly speechless. "Two...Two-hundred thousand." He whispered. "You gotta be kidding me! If that's the case, I'd be committing suicide rather than helping."

"Guru!" His spirit, Kororo said.

"Ah, yeah Kororo. If we don't help the Ice Men, they'll be in danger. I have to get stronger too." He said to himself.

"Guru!" Kororo encouraged him.

"So I... can't here." He said standing up. "After all, the strong feed upon the weak. In the end, only the strongest survive, the weaklings must be terminated. If anything, that's a proven fact by the brutality of the Shaman Tournament!" Horohoro shuddered. "I'm not so dumb... that I'd jump out there to die for nothing!"

_I'm sorry, Ice Men. Forgive me, father._

"Sorry that you have such a dumb, unworthy son!" Horohoro stepped down onto the seashore behind Big Guy Bill.

Blocken turned slightly and saw him.

"When did you...?" Big Guy Bill asked when he turned his head too.

"Horohoro! What are you doing here, idiot!?" Pino shouted at him.

"Yeah, I know. I'm dumb." He sighed. "Even if you tell me the numbers, it's useless to me until I try it with my own hands." Horohoro held an Inuit totem in his right hand and formed a sword oversoul through it. "My math is horrible."

"Hmph." Bill turned to face the Ice Men again. "The logic of an idiot." His blonde hair had grown out to his shoulders.

Had they really been in the Shaman Tournament that long? It didn't matter anymore, keeping track of the days was useless. The battle was now and that's all you had to worry about.

"Looks like you're not only bad at math! If you had snuck in and attacked, maybe you would have succeeded." Big Guy Bill smirked.

"Yup, but I'm not so dumb as to fall for that trick of your's either."

Suddenly Bill tossed a football behind him at Horohoro and leaped at him to catch it. The spirits of the football players joined him for the Big Touchdown. Horohoro's eyes widened as he thought of a way to evade. Big Guy Bill was quicker than he thought!

**To be continued in Chapter 34!**

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**Yes! Finally I get to one of my favorite chapters! Chapter 181 and 182 of the Shaman King Manga, don't get too far and spoil it. I hope everyone knows what legoes are, I just get the feeling that they're not widely known as "legoes." -Cokehead**


	34. Chapter 34

At the last minute, before all of the football players tackled him, Horohoro leaped up onto their backs and pushed off safely out of the way. "Surfing on your enemy's furyoku wake to survive an attack. If everyone knows this technique, it would no longer be a surprise attack." Horohoro said as he landed on the soft sand. "If it's riding on waves, I may even be better than Ren. Fumon Tonkou."

The technique that Hao had taught his followers, Fumon Tonkou. Ren had performed it on Turbine at the scene of the bridge. Evading the attack and using your opponent's furyoku waves to guide you safely away.

"Ren got killed and Yoh made some stupid deal with the X-Laws. They're both so irresponsible and act on their own whims." Horohoro smirked. "There's nothing to be afraid of now, I'll be Shaman King instead!"

Big Guy Bill slowly got up from where he stopped in the sand. "You want to become Shaman King? You actually think you can?" He asked Horohoro.

Horohoro grinned confidently until he was suddenly hit by a football in the stomach.

"Be careful of what you say!" Bill exclaimed through his helmet, his hand smoking from the force that he put into throwing the ball. "Those words exist only for Master Hao!"

Kaia sat on her bed with her legs gathered under her and her head buried in her knee caps. She had cried so much that she couldn't cry anymore. All she could do now was mope around and wait for the tears to flow again. She wouldn't be able to go on any missions for awhile because of her wounds. She was jealous that Blocken and Bill got to go on a mission. She wished to go too and try out her new furyoku level.

Turbine entered quietly through the metal door. He stepped over piles of rubble as he removed his veil and turbin, laying them on the end table next to Kaia's bed. "You are still in here? Why aren't you outside, enjoying the air?"

"I'm not in the mood." Kaia sobbed.

Turbine frowned. He hated to see her so upset. He sat down next to her and petted her hair. "Why don't we go and take a walk together, just you and I?" He asked her.

Kaia's body stopped heaving. "I... I guess." She wiped her eyes and looked at him with a cute face. "No one else?"

Turbine nodded assuredly. Kaia leaned forward and hugged him, smiling. "Wherever you want to go, I'll take you there." He told her as he hugged her tight.

Big Guy Bill and Blocken stood silently on the sand, overlooking the damage they had done. Big Guy Bill had done. "You didn't even need to come, Blocken. Those three add up to only seven-thousand and I have forty-thousand. The difference is like..." He looked for a metaphor. "Heaven and Earth."

"But Bill..." Blocken said. "Why did you spare this one?"

Horohoro sat against a rock, his head lowered, chin touching his chest. He looked defeated and defenseless.

"Back in America, this guy saved my life." Bill explained.

"But that isn't a valid reason to let him live." Blocken argued.

"I'll kill him eventually. But I have to respect him. I like people who have courage. I get excited thinking about what he'll do next to defend himself. This guy was ready to die when he came here to save his friends. I don't think he did it just to have a near-death experience to raise his furyoku either." Bill grinned. "He's a simple minded idiot or perhaps, a truly brave boy." Bill raised his right arm for a command. "Set!" He yelled as the football players appeared, ready to run at their target. "I will kill the Ice Men in the next hit! So come Horohoro, show me what you're made of!" Bill challenged him.

A large man with wild black hair and Inuit clothes walked slowly out of the forest and joined a Patch man named, Kalim. They both gazed out over the shore at the situation.

"It does not look good, boy's father." Kalim said to him. "Even though I am responsible for him, I cannot interfere with an un-official match. So you may save him if you want."

"Yeah dad!" A girl with long blue hair appeared. "Please save big bro! If you don't he'll..."

The man stared at nothingness as if he didn't have a son and these people were mistaken. He turned and walked back up the path he had come.

"Boy's father!" Kalim called after him.

"Dad!?" The girl shouted.

"In this world, the strong feed upon the weak." The man's voice was deep and clear. "The pup left home to chase after his dream. Once a bird leaves the nest, he becomes and independent man. A real man has the freedom to choose between life or death."

"How can you that!? If this continues, your son will meet certain death! Didn't you come to this island because you're worried about him?" Kalim yelled.

"I can always have another son." Kalim and the young girl froze. "The strong feed upon the weak. I'm only here because Pirika begged me to come after him." The man said as he walked down towards the beach. "So now, I'm going home."

He walked up to the burning boat and tore off piece of board. Big Guy Bill, who was so excited about battling Horohoro finally noticed the man had passed him.

"Hey! What are you doing over there!" He shouted after him. Horohoro stared blankly at his dad who was building a makeshift raft.

"I want to leave this island, so I need a boat." He said with his back turned to Bill. "I built myself a raft."

"Wait!" Bill called after him. "You're a shaman too, aren't you? You're weaker than me but your furyoku seems pretty high.

"I'm just a regular office worker." The man called as he drifted out further from the shore.

"What a waste!" Bill smirked. "Give your soul to Master Hao!!" He charged at the man, followed by his spirit football team.

Suddenly, a large Koropokkuru appeared, punching Big Guy Bill with such an impact that it sent him back to the seashore and rendered him unconscious. "Guru!" It smiled with satisfaction.

"The strong feeding upon the weak, doesn't mean giving up!" The man exclaimed before disappeared in the horizon.

His father's words reawakened Horohoro as they echoed in his mind. "It doesn't mean giving up!" He repeated.

**To be continued in Chapter 35!**

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**Lol, I love the part where Horohoro's dad says he's just an office worker because in the manga he's wearing his tribe's usual clothes. He's no office worker! Poor Bill, he needs to stop picking on strong people and getting beat up. (Hint: Next chapter is all about Blocken... sort of ) -Cokehead**


	35. Chapter 35

Blocken sat on the beach, his odd legs sticking out from under his ugly, ochre cloak. He smiled at the scene even though his voice showed hints of worry and dread. "He really left just like that. How did this happen!?" He looked at Big Guy Bill who laid on his back, unconscious. "That person's furyoku is at most around five-thousand, yet he was able to defeat Bill who has forty-thousand! I can only think of one conclusion, before I lose control of the situation..." He squinted his eyes at Horohoro and the Ice Men through his mask. "I must kill all of you."

"I will not allow you to." Horohoro objected as they both stood up from where they had sat. Blocken loomed on the seashore, his cloak blowing in the wind around him. "Get lost, if you don't want to get injured." Horohoro warned him.

"You still have the strength to stand up. But what surprises me more is that you can talk of such foolishness when you're on the verge of death." Blocken turned around. "My furyoku is at one-hundred sixty-thousand while you're at around two-thousand." His mask smiled back at Horohoro mockingly.

"Then fight me, kiddo." Horohoro panted. Being called "kiddo," infuriated Blocken.

Kaia had sat and cried in Turbine's arms for what seemed like hours until Peyote and Zang-Ching came through the door. Kaia shook as she tried to calm down in front of them.

"Master Hao said we should go and check on Bill and Blocken, they're late." Peyote said quickly. "What's wrong with her?" He pointed to Kaia who was now laying in Turbine's lap, covering her face.

"She's mourning for Basil." Turbine replied.

"Ah, that brat." Peyote remarked. Kaia started to wail again and Turbine flashed his eyes angrily at Peyote, who shrugged as if he didn't care.

"It's alright, Kaia. Come on, we better head out to the beach before it gets dark." Turbine said as combed through her hair with his fingers, trying to soothe her. She wept silently and wiped her eyes as they headed out to check on Bill and Blocken. Kaia had to bring her staff along because she still was not in the best shape. Turbine offered to carry her several times, but she refused to until she absolutely needed too. She knew Blocken was going to scold her for coming out all that way for him in her condition. She hoped he was okay, she didn't want to lose another friend.

"Heh!" Blocken's mask grinned maliciously at Horohoro. "Seems like you've realized the situation too? But, I'll have you know that it is impossible." Blocken raised his arm and pulled off his cloak from the neck. "You just watch." He said as blocks dropped around him. "My oversoul." He slowly continued. Blocks fell about him. All different colors: white, yellow, blue and red. "Then die obediantly, Horohoro."

The ugly, ochre cloak fell to the sand with the bright color blocks to reveal a short, two foot humanoid made of legoes. Blocken's head consisted of a giant yellow helmet like that of a lego person's head. There were holes in the face for eyes and a grinning cut for a mouth. The body was made up of a large, blue piece for a torso connecting to the arms and legs which had joints in them. His arms from the shoulders to the elbow joints were yellow and his forearms were red. His legs were made of white blocks and were bolted to a pelvis piece coming out from the bottom of the torso.

Horohoro simply stood, unmoved, no emotion on his face. It didn't occur to him unlike it did to his sister that such a being could live without others acknowledging the fact that it could have been human or is still human. This person's body was unreal! Out of this world!

Blocken cackled. "Afraid, aren't you?" He sweated nervously from underneath his mask. He had never shown anyone but Master Hao what hid under the cloak. "That's right! I'm the real deal!" He slowly grew confident in revealing his body. He decided to spill the beans, he was going to destroy the boy anyways. "The only things missing from my torso are my limbs. Let me tell you how I became like this!"

"Not interested." Horohoro snapped. "The only thing I want to do is create fuki fields."

"Really?" Blocken became irritated that he didn't get to tell his story but he quickly got excited now that he realized he could finish off Horohoro quicker. "In that case, I'll send you to hell!! Oversoul Die Block!" He shouted as the blocks started to form behind him, carrying him with it as it rose above the treetops. The blocks formed into a large lego tyrannosaurus rex with Blocken attaching to its chest. He laughed maniacally now that he wasn't so short anymore. He was on his high saddle now. "My medium consists of these blocks! The number of arrangements are limitless! I can transform into anything to attack!" Blocken shouted down at Horohoro. "My furyoku is sufficient enough to control every single block. It's something you won't be able to handle!"

"True, my furyoku is really weak." Horohoro said as he looked away from the dinosaur. "Kororo's reiyoku is most likely inferior to your's." Blocken stared down confidently. "But I have these guys by my side now."

Three spirits appeared behind Horohoro. A woman with long blonde hair and claws for hands, a large viking man and a giant watery creature with frog eyes and feet.

"Those are the Ice Men's spirits!" Kalim exclaimed. He calculated their reiyoku on his oracle bell. "Badbh, two-thousand one-hundred, Deht, five-hundred, and Vodiandi, two-thousand twenty." He pressed some buttons on the oracle bell. "Kororo, seven-hundred fifty. Blocks, three-thousand twenty."

"If we gather all these reiyoku, there's a chance we can surpass your's." Horohoro concluded.

"You brats!" Blocken shouted. "This isn't possible! This isn't possible! This isn't possible! And yet you still don't realize what will happen to you? Shamans control spirits using their furyoku. Once the reiyoku level surpasses your own furyoku level, it's impossible to control! Do you know what you're exposing yourself to when you surpass your limit? Can you guess what will happen to you? Are you getting scared?" He blustered.

"Seeing how frantic you are, it seems that I'm at an advantage in terms of reiyoku." Horohoro stood silently on the beach.

"Duh!" Blocken shouted mockingly. Kaia and Basil both caught on quicker than this guy. Heck! They knew what their advantages were before the fight. Of course, that's an exaggeration but Blocken was proud of them. This kid was dumb.

Horohoro chuckled. "'The strong feed upon the weak,' that's what my father often told me. Although the way nature works is certain, knowing that you can't get away from it makes it even better. Just like how there are rulers of the sky in the heavens, there are also lords of the ocean. No matter what world, there is always a king who belongs to it. Just like the lion, the king of beasts who can't fly or swim. It also can't do anything to the underground raccoons. That is to say, once the raccon can get underground, it can even beat the lion." Horohoro smirked.

Blocken detached himself from the dinosaur and pointed with a lego arm down at Horohoro. "What!? What kind of nonsense is that!? We're not in heaven nor are we at sea! We're on the same terrain! Come on, give me your best shot! Should you forcefully use your oversoul, you will die as your mind breaks!" His eyes stared evily through his mask down at Horohoro as he challenged him to use all of the spirits at once.

"I won't die." Horohoro said valiantly as Kororo formed into a bird's head at his fist, carrying his totem in her beak. Ice rose up about him sending off steam as it adjusted to the environment. "This is already my world, I am the king."

**To be continued in Chapter 36!**

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**I want to know how you became a cute little freak! XD Aww... stupid Horohoro. I hope Blocken explained that to you all fairly well. Shamans have furyoku while spirits have reiyoku, okay? Also the phrase, "The strong feed upon the weak," is annoying but it contributes the meaning to this chapter. -Cokehead**


	36. Chapter 36

"W-What?" Blocken muttered as he looked about from the chest of the dinosaur model. Ice had surrounded him and it was getting colder. He should have built an insulator in this body! He thought to himself angrily as he shivered underneath the plastic armor. "A world of ice."

"Thank you Ice Men." Horohoro said when he walked up to them. "Thanks to your spirits, we'll get out of here. It will be a bit cold, but you'll have to hold on. Well, I was raised in any icy country, so I'm used to this." He smirked.

"What?" Blocken questioned from his perch. "What are you think about doing? Brr... I don't understand... I can break the ice... and also, a shaman can't control souls whose strength surpasses their own furyoku level! Not respecting this rule can lead to death!"

Horohoro stood silently with a giant bird ball at his fist. "He annoys me. He's not teaching me anything. My goal is to create fuki plant fields. I will not die before reaching my goal. That's what makes me different from Ren. Things are only getting complicated now. Their reiyoku seems hard to master. I will not be able to use all of the Ice Men's souls at once. But my furyoku level should allow me to use them individually. One soul per attack. I really worked on preparing this attack... I can't mess up!" Horohoro thought to himself as he raised the ball up like a cannon. He smiled up at Blocken and chuckled. "I'm waiting. Don't tell me you're already scared.

Blocken smirked, showing a row of sharp teeth. "Feh... Bill... You were wrong. This kid can't be brave." He could see his breath, it was so cold already. The dinosaur took a step forward, shivering because Blocken was cold inside his lego body. "A boy who doesn't feel pain or fear can never evolve." The dinosaur began to charge and dropped it jaw, ready to gobble Horohoro down. "But this is kid is a simple moron!"

Horohoro put both hands into the back of the ball. "Let's go Kororo." He whispered. He lifted the ball up to Blocken. "Kow Kow Puri Wemple!" He shouted as the bird ball shot ice out at Blocken and his Die Block.

Blocken laughed as the ice went passed him. "It's too late to use such lame techniques!! All I have to do is avoid them, it's so simple!! Go on Blocks!" His sharp teeth gleamed as he stared out with bloodlust.

"He fell into my trap." Horohoro said to himself, grinning. "I release Kororo!" He put the totem pole in his mouth and picked up Zoria's leather shield. "But that's not all! Oversoul water spirit, Vodiandi!" The giant water spirit appeared, the shield inside his belly as Horohoro pointed it up at Blocken.

"What?" Blocken's dinosaur stopped at his command. "What is..."

"He is heavy." Horohoro said through clenched teeth as he held the totem pole in his mouth and focused on the shield. "Give me strength!" He shouted as Vodiandi shot out a water beam from his mouth.

"Water!?" Pirika exclaimed.

"Horohoro, you want to use souls one by one?! It's not good!" Kalim shouted.

"Huh..." Blocken stood, staring at what was happening.

"Water is surrounding the hail!" Kalim exclaimed as the hail met the water.

"I release Vodiandi and I deploy another oversoul!" Horohoro shouted as he tossed back the shield and kicked up Pino's staff. "Badbh!"

The staff was a neatly carved, wooden staff. Not like Kaia's. At the end was a crafted metal hook like a chakram and as the spirit, Badbh, merged with the staff, eyes, wings and feet grew out on the sides and a beak appeared at the end on the hook.

"Here you go, giant icicles!" Horohoro shouted as he felt Badbh sucking up the heat around Blocken and blowing giant icicles at him.

The icicles stabbed at the Die Block Dinosaur, breaking through the blocks. Blocken stood, unharmed but shook up from the attack. Suddenly, he dispersed the blocks, letting the icicles fall.

"Icredible! An oversoul combination that uses the different reiyoku skills. Horohoro has just done something unheard of!" Kalim exclaimed excitedly.

"Hey! Tell me!" Blocken shouted as he flew backwards with his formless blocks. "You defended yourself well! And you think you've won!?" The blocks began to form again. "You've just destroyed Die Block but it won't be enough! Die Block! Transform into Die Tank!" Blocken ordered as his blocks caught him in the front seat at the steering wheel.

It was a piece of art in the block medium. The terret was done with a pipe piece and was attached to the hull which could turn this way and that, aiming at any enemy within a circular radius. The track was made of a large rubber piece and was partially covered by thin blocks that attached to the othe blocks by hinges. The tank was even accented by a red siren light.

"FIRE!!" Blocken shouted as the tank flew backwards, the missile going way over the treetops and the tank making a massive splash into the ocean. The force that the tank had used to fire the missile sent it and Blocken straight into the ocean! _The sea?_ Blocken's lungs, or what was supposedly left of them, filled with water as the bubbles rose in front of his face. _Was this the end?_ Oh, how he wished to have seen Kaia one more time! She would be even stronger by now. She'd be able to get him out of this mess. He didn't care if she saw him like this or not. He watched the fish swim by him like he didn't even exist. Kaia would notice. His mind tricked him as he saw her graceful little white hand extend to him. No, it was the light of the sun setting, coming through the ice as the giant iceburg bobbed in the ocean. He couldn't breathe! He was quickly reminded of that night, fifteen years ago. The smoke choked him and he was in horrible pain, his arms and legs felt like they were on fire. He remembered the thousands of fuzzy rodents rushing by him as he was sprawled helplessly on the floor, staring up into that grinning face, framed by the dark hair. Blocken blinked as the ice cracked. Someone was saving him!

"I'm going to kill you." Horohoro announced coldly as he pulled on the chains. "Or so I would want to say, but my furyoku is already at its last bit. You should be thankful for the amount of furyoku it needs to use Deht." Horohoro pulled the iceberg up onto the bank. "I won."

A hole had melted into the ice, reaching Blocken's face so he could breathe. He saw Horohoro walking away. This kid was still a moron but he was a nice moron. Bill smiled. No doubt that this kid was a friend of Master Yoh's.

**To be continued in Chapter 37!**

* * *

I think that what Blocken said here gave a clue as to what happened to him. My imagery of the fire and the grinning face was all of my own work but that definitely clued me in there. "A boy who doesn't feel pain or fear can't evolve." I should write a Blocken one-shot explaining more on what happened, in my mind, if I can't cover it in Trial By Fire.

In the manga, the translator said this is Ainu language. I went and briefly translated it. Roughly, it means 'Hundreds and Hundreds of Weather .' I couldn't figure out what wemple meant. But you get the general idea that it's a cool attack.

I would save Blocken right now but I have school tomorrow. Sorry Blocken!


	37. Chapter 37

Thousands of small, transparent souls gathered on the shore under the shadow of the iceberg. Horohoro stared in surprise when he saw where they were coming from. The blocks began to lose their rectangular form and grew tails, paws and noses. They squeaked together in a random chorus with no harmony, bringing the news of their master's defeat.

"This pack of mice souls was the blocks' true identity. He was manipulating them with his oversoul." Horohoro gazed at them sadly. "Blocken was a really sinister guy. Hao's gang is made up of weirdoes." He heard a grunt from behind him. The Ice Men were stirring. "And now, what am I going to do with the Ice Men?" He questioned himself. "Faust will heal them. But I am too exhausted to carry them."

Bill sat up with smile. He will finish the job that he started. Blocken couldn't do it. Bill looked over at the iceberg. It will melt evetually. Days perhaps. If Kaia was here... He muffled a chuckle. He hoped she wouldn't come. She was in no position to travel all that way just for them.

Kaia panted hard as she took heavier, shorter steps and held herself up on her staff. Turbine looked back and sighed. He bent down at her feet, wrapped his arm around her legs and lifted her up onto his shoulder. He carried her over his shoulder, humiliating her in front of Zang-Ching and Peyote, unintentionally.

"Don't take it so hard, Kaia. Your health is not to be gambled on." Turbine told her as they walked through the forest. Peyote laughed through his bandana.

"Oh, stuff it Turbine. She'll make it okay. After all, Blocken did train her." He waved his gloved hand at him.

"Blocken's really hard on her, don't you think?" Zang-Ching adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I mean, he insisted that I practically chop her up to increase her furyoku and she was willing to take it."

"I am sorry to have put you both through that." Turbine said to Zang-Ching and Kaia, who was half awake. The swaying motion of Turbine's walk had put her to sleep. "I think Blocken has seen how having a lot of furyoku is beneficial and doesn't want Kaia to be the weakest link. No offense, Kaia."

"Mnah." Kaia mumbled in her sleep.

"The beach is just up ahead." Peyote pointed and half jogged towards it. He disappeared through the wall of trees and onto the shore.

It was hard to see as it was night time when they had set out. Blocken and Bill was expected around noon but they never turned up. Hao was not worried but Zang-Ching was. Peyote only wanted to go to laugh if Bill and Blocken had died. He hated them both. He hated all of them, except Kaia. He wished they would all drop dead and leave them alone. It would probably come down to him killing all of them one day, soon. If only for the sake of being with Kaia. Turbine wanted to go because he had promised to take Kaia on a walk anyways and he was sure she would have wanted to go and check on those two also.

"This is retarded." Zang-Ching frowned as the walked up along the beach. "Since he was late, we started to worry and here we are."

Turbine laid Kaia down on the sand. "So, Peyote. Is he still living?" He asked.

Kaia turned her head toward the cliff where Peyote had bent over, looking down at Bill. "Please be okay." She whispered, sleepily. She didn't want to go to sleep until she was sure both Bill and Blocken were okay. She didn't think she could survive another night knowing that a friend was dead.

"Yes, I think he will survive." Peyote said disappointedly as he turned around to face them. He laughed. "We send him to chase easy souls and this is the state we find him in? Damn, Bill. Isn't he ashamed?"

Bill lay on his back in red sand, stained with his blood. His hair was covered in it, his clothes were drenched in it. A giant red "X" was cut across his chest as he laid, sprawled on the ground. Cut up, beaten, battered and overall bloody, Kaia should be thankful she didn't see what had happened to him while she laid in the sand, sleep calling her.

"After this incident, Bill's power will increase." Turbine said as the night wind blew through his robes and veil. His messy black hair that barely stuck out from under his turbin shifted slightly. It had grew out since the start of this tournament, like Bill's.

"Hmph." Zang-Ching sighed. "He isn't really powerful but he sure can take a good hit. In fact-" Zang-Ching smirked as he turned his gaze to a small figure in the sand. "It's useless to only have furyoku."

Blocken sat on his lego hands and knees, drenched in icy cold water. He panted and sputtered, the water still remained in his lungs. "I underestimated my opponent. If you have time to burn, you should increase your furyoku level."

"Heh. I don't have to take tips from you." Zang-Ching crossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly.

"You should." Kaia muttered.

"You're here too, Kaia?" Blocken asked, surprised and relieved.

"Yeah." She smiled. Her eyelids felt heavy. Now she could rest without any worries.

"And now..." Turbine interrupted. "Would you explain to us what happened here?"

"Ah?" Blocken felt pressured. He had wanted to talk to Kaia longer but it looked like she needed rest and Turbine was a little scary when it involved Kaia.

"In the ice? What did you see when you were trapped in it?" Turbine stared at him with those mystic eyes, outlined by his turbin and veil, adding to his mysteriousness.

Blocken fell back in fear. "Uh..."

"We were aware of the details. But Bill tried to follow his mission and was seriously hurt." Turbine informed him. "Who did this?" He rose his head slightly, his eyes resting on Blocken. "Who evacuated the Ice Men?"

"Don't scare him, Turbine." Kaia pleaded with no avail as Turbine stared Blocken down.

"Eh...well..." Blocken shook nervously as everyone watched him. All this attention, it was too much. "Eh...Well...The X-Laws."

"What!?" Turbine exclaimed.

"There is no doubt." Blocken said as he stared into the sand. "It happened so fast that I didn't see much, but it was an X-Law. When Bill got up to finish the boy, there was a ray of light. Then two and then three. I saw Bill's body covered in blood." Blocken shook with fear as he remembered what had happened. "It was the first time I saw one so fast. But I am confident of what I saw. It was definitely an angel."

"That's weird." Turbine simply said with no surprise in his voice.

"What? You doubt what I saw?" Blocken stood up.

"If it was a real X-Law, Bill would have been executed. They wouldn't have left him alive." Peyote said as he stood up from the cliff. "I think we should keep investigating. Zang-Ching, Turbine, let's go. We're leaving." He started to walk back up to the path. "Blocken, I am counting on you to take care of Bill. Bill is big but with Blocks, you should be okay."

"But what about Kaia?" Turbine asked.

"Turbine, don't worry about me. I'll just be dead weight if you were to take me with you."

"I can take care of her, I still have a lot of furyoku left." Blocken added.

"Alright. I will return for you." He knelt down next to her, pulling down his veil and kissed her forehead. She smiled up at him before he turned and left with Peyote.

"We must look for tracks in order to find the angel's owner." Peyote said as he searched for a trace of tracks.

"But what do you mean... to go investigate? Don't tell me that..." Blocken sweated nervously.

"We don't give a damn that Bill is hurt." Peyote raised his guitar in the air. "For us, that means that they attacked Master Hao. It means revenge." He growled underneath his disguise. "We will find the guilty one and execute him."

The Grande Phantasma rose out of the water and joined the three hunters in their quest for revenge. Kaia looked at Blocken when they disappeared in the woods.

"You okay?" She whispered, she was utterly tired.

"Yeah, don't worry about me Kaia." He got up and walked towards her.

"Please. Tell me what happened to you." She laid with her hands clasped together at her mid-section.

"I might as well, now that you see me like this." He sat down next to her.

The ocean roared with life even though it should be at rest tonight. The moon tugged on the tide, washing the blood away. Kaia stared up at the stars as she waited for Blocken to tell his story. He swallowed hard and prepared himself to tell the story he swore never to speak of again. Hao told him it wasn't of great importance if Kaia found out. Afterall, his story was nothing compared to Kaia's. He saw her differently now after what Hao had told her. She looked so harmless, so innocent, so... beautiful. No, she was Turbine's fiance. But he was sure in for a surprise. He didn't know of her origins, her fate. What if _they_ found him and Kaia? _They_ would break the engagement. _They_ would take her away from him. _They_ would possibly kill him out of entertainment. Oh the heartache! The cruelty! He didn't want to be involved in her situation. But he always found himself mixed up in someone else's problems.

"Blocken?" She called out for him.

"Yeah, Kaia?" He bent over towards her.

"You don't want to tell me your past, do you?" She asked through half-closed eyes.

"Not really. I'm sorry." He muttered.

"That's okay. I'll find out sooner or later." She smiled and stared up at the stars again. "I used to think you were scary. But when we were put on a team, I began to respect you. I've never had a father before so I don't know what it's like." Tears came to her eyes and streamed down the sides of her face and dropped into the sand. "Would it be wrong to say that you set that father figure for me?"

Blocken was shocked by her words. He remembered the grinning face and dark hair. He was never called a "father" and never thought he would set that example for someone else. For Kaia to say that... he was speechless. "I don't know, Kaia. A long time ago, I was a like father to a boy once." He shook his head to get rid of the memories but it was useless. That boy was a living memory of what had happened to him.

"I wonder if I really did have a father." Kaia closed her eyes and imagined what he would have been like. "I bet my mother was beautiful. Oh, I wish I had a picture of her!" She took a deep breath.

Blocken frowned beneath his mask. If only Kaia knew, he thought. He would do a better job of being a father than _he_ ever did.

"Blocken, I've heard that a bride's father gives her away on her wedding day and... um... Turbine and I are supposed to be married after the tournament and..." She stuttered.

"I... I would be happy to." Blocken lied. He knew he shouldn't get too attached. You never know if something could happen like what happened to Basil. "I will give you away on your wedding day."

"Thank you." Kaia whispered as she wiped her eyes clear of the tears. They sat together for the longest time, Kaia laying down in the sand, staring up at the stars while Blocken stared out into the dark sea, wondering what his life would have been like if that baby was never delivered at his window by a "stork."

**To be continued in Chapter 38!**


	38. Chapter 38

The full moon hung high over Hiroshima, lighting the way for the floating red, transparent spirit with antlers as it looked for a place to stay. An illuminated window caught its attention. A puny human was awake in this sleeping city. It swooped down, carrying the bundle carefully as it gazed into the window. A small lamp lit up the room, revealing the figure of a young man sitting on the floor in front of a model house.

His hair was short and unkept, he had been up for the past couple days trying to complete this model house. The man was short for his age, four feet tall at least. He stood up and pulled a box down from the shelf above him, sitting it down beside him and carefully looking for the piece he needed for the house. As the spirit watched the man, he already knew his personality. He was not at all social. A very shy and skittish man because he was vertically challenged. He sought out to fill that social need with his pet rats, their cage sat near the bed at the other end of the room. This man, with his caring nature and undiscovered shamanic powers would be the excellent candidate for a caretaker of the almighty Lord Hao.

The spirit tapped on the glass, hoping the man would hear the spiritual knock. To answer its hopes, the man turned around and stared in horror and surprise at the spirit and the newborn baby in the window. He ran and opened to window to rescue the baby but didn't expect the spirit to fly in and land on his bed, holding the baby tight to its chest. The man rushed to the baby's aide but a voice suddenly stopped him.

"Stop or you will die." A voice said. The man froze in fear. "I am Hao, and I have returned to this earth to be Shaman King. I will rid the world of humans and make a world for shamans. You, Blocken Mayer are lucky to have been chosen as my adoptive father."

"What?" Was all that the man could mutter as he stood at the end of the bed almost wetting himself.

"Don't be nervous. I will sleep now but the Spirit of Fire shall watch over me." The baby said telepathetically as it closed its eyes.

The Spirit of Fire laid next to its master, warming him with its fiery body. Blocken fainted on the floor. This had to be a dream! He stayed up too long and had a weird dream. This couldn't be real.

It was real. Blocken woke up to find that his life revolved around taking care of this special baby. The baby had so much knowledge already, Blocken had found out. He didn't need to teach him anything. Hao quickly started to walk and talk with his mouth moving! A year had passed when that terrible event happened.

Blocken had been working on a new project, a model of a body. Not just any body, a body like that of his lego people that he decorated his model house with. But this body would be bigger, a child's size. He planned to get it patented and on the market. He would make millions! All those children out there who would love to dress as their favorite toy, he was surprised no one had done that before. He picked up a Phillips screwdriver and tightened a screw in the leg when he heard a crash in the hall.

"Hao? You okay?" He called as he set the screwdriver down.

"The power..." Hao mumbled as Blocken found him huddled behind an end table in the hallway.

"The power is on, don't worry." Blocken reassured him, referring to the electricity.

"The power!" Hao exclaimed and laughed. Fire suddenly rose behind Hao in the hall, blocking off the main stairway.

"Hao, what are you doing?! Stop it!" Blocken pleaded.

"Feel it! It's so strong." Hao laughed maniacally as he grabbed Blocken's hands, burning them to the touch.

Blocken ran back into his bedroom to find the Spirit of Fire guarding the window. There was no way to escape, that spirit would follow him everywhere at Hao's command. Hao entered the doorway, his gaze was like that of a madman's.

"You can't run, Blocken." He grinned as the fire flooded in through the door, not even touching Hao.

Blocken fell back onto the floor in fear. They were going to burn him alive! That's what he gets for putting up with that baby for a year now? He probably should have never opened that window. He should have stayed seated and let someone else deal with it. Why was he so caring?

The bars on the rats' cage melted and they flooded out onto the floor and escaped down a hole behind the bed. At least they could escape unharmed, Blocken thought with a smile. He could die now, knowing his rats were okay. Hao stood with a wide grin in the doorway as the fire ate away at the floorboards.

"You don't need your legs anymore, do you, Blocken?" Hao asked as he lifted his hand towards Blocken.

He felt a burning pain up his legs and he looked down at them. The fire was eating up his legs! He furiously tried to put it out with the blanket off his bed but it was no use. This fire was controlled, it was not natural.

"Or your arms." Hao cocked his head and lifted his other hand. Blocken cried in pain as his arms burned away, skin, muscle, bones and all.

"Why Hao!! WHY!!" Blocken hollored as he laid on his back, writhing in pain. The fire had ate away half of his limbs already, leaving a black leather on the burning wooden floors. The floorboards fell about them and the bed soon fell through.

"You'll understand when you acquire as much power as I have. That is, if you survive the fire." Hao smirked as the Spirit of Fire opened the window and carried him out safely, leaving Blocken burning away on the floor.

This was the end, surely, Blocken thought as he cried. He choked from the smoke as his body burned. He didn't have any friends to help him. The rats left for their own safety. But he was glad, at least they'll be okay. He wished he could have finished the lego body before he died. At least he would have accomplished _something_.

Suddenly he heard conversed squeaks from the floorboards that still remained. The rats began to poke their noses up from under the floorboards and chew their way through. They were going to save him! He was in so much pain and joy, as he watched thousands of little noses poke up around him and chew their way through. The few that he had went and gathered more rats to help him! These rats weren't just pets, they had hearts and minds. They gathered under him but the floor creaked under all the weight and both Blocken and the rats knew they would fall through. The rats did not think that the holes they made would contribute to that. Blocken felt the floor give way under him before he fell through into the pit of fire. The burning, he wished it would stop. He wanted to die if no one could save him now. The pain was too much as he laid there amongst the rubble, an armless and legless freak. The fire died down away from him and he stared up into the grinning face framed by dark hair. Hao.

"Ha. You survived with minor casualties. Unforetunately," Hao held up a dead rat by the tail. "They didn't." He said as he tossed it into a pile of dead rodents that had died in the fire.

Blocken's whole body, or what was left of it was in terrible pain. He dared not look at what he had become. Hao said it wasn't very sightly. The surviving rats brought down the lego body he had been building along with the tools and parts he needed to finish it. Although he had no hands to use the tools, Hao and the rats pitched in. Hao out of pure boredom and curiousity as to how Blocken would live inside this new body. The rats, like the fire to Hao was now under Blocken's control. Whatever he wished, they did within reason. Hao informed him that the spirits of the dead rats had been helping too and that Blocken was indeed a shaman. Although he didn't know what that meant, he was sort of glad to be one. To be something other than a freak.

"I remember, it was troublesome to adjust the new body to my disfigured one." Blocken whispered. "But I managed it as I have managed many other troubles alongside Hao."

Kaia laid on her side, her back to Blocken as she stared at the forest. Little did he know that she had been awake to hear him talk about the body. She pitied him. Being constantly ridiculed for his differences when he was such a caring person. No one really liked him except her and Big Guy. Even though Turbine claimed to be friends with him, she highly doubted that. The world was evil to judge people like that. She and Blocken were alike, she thought with a sweet smile.

**To be continued in Chapter 39!**


	39. Chapter 39

The skeletal face of the Grande Phantasma gazed into the old abandoned building that the tracks had led to. There they were! The guilty ones all sitting around and rejoicing their accomplishments of attacking Master Hao.

"I found them." Peyote sang as he strummed on his guitar.

The Grande Phantasma pulled back a bony arm and thrusted it into the window, shattering the glass and metal frame. Peyote laughed as it broke the whole window down.

"Kill them all!" He ordered. Just then, something caught his eye. The arm of the Grande Phantasma that held its dagger was held back by a snake-like oversoul. "What's this!? My Grande Phantasma's arm is immobilised!"

"You... You scared us!" Ryu growled. "You almost hurt Lyserg you sh-!!" A giant snake head rose up at the Grande Phantasma and Peyote, bearing its fangs.

Turbine dashed out from the forest, as quick as lightening. He leaped up into the air above Peyote's Grande Phantasma. "Peyote, move!" He shouted as he stretched out his arm towards the Yamata No Orochi. "BEAM!!" A thin yellow line shot out of the palm of his hand and hit the building, making a huge blast that blew everyone back out of its radius. Turbine seemed to float in the air, his robes billowed in the wind. He gazed with satisfaction down at the bombed building as his hair shifted in front of his face with the strong night wind.

"Looks like your attack just failed." Yoh announced from the face of the bright moon.

A large nurse demon levitated in the air in front of the moon carrying everyone but Ryu on her syringe-arm. It was Faust's Eliza Mephisto, the devil's wife.

"You two again?!" Lyserg exclaimed unhappily.

"Yeah, we don't have a choice." Yoh said as he gazed down at their opponents. "If someone attacks us, we have to reply."

"If someone attacks us, we have to reply...?" Lyserg repeated confusedly.

"They were trying to launch a surprise attack on us! I thought we were going to die!" Chocolove exclaimed as he sat on his hands and knees upon the syringe, his whole body still thriving with adrenaline from the narrow escape.

"Uh...But..." Kamijahide muttered as he sat up and rubbed his head.

"Finally awake old man?" Horohoro teased as he supported Zoria. "We'll talk later. Kamijahide, help me support Pino."

"Horohoro!" Kamijahide said in surprise.

"Eh. Yoh, and now what? What do we do?" Horohoro asked him.

Yoh stood, grinning with his eyes closed. Familiarly like Hao's when he had tried to kill Blocken. "We'll see. We are flying at the moment. How about we use that to escape?" He suggested although the answer was unanimous. "Alright, Ryu! You escape on your own!" Yoh shouted down to him as the Elize Mephisto started to fly off.

"Alright boss!" Ryu yelled back as he stood on top of one of the snake's many heads. He stared at the Grande Phantasma as it rose to his height and then some. This would be a tough enemy, one against two.

Peyote chuckled through his bandana. "Looks like your friends abandoned you." He said as he strummed random notes on his guitar. They all blended together in harmony, as unlikely as it seemed.

"Don't let it get to you," Turbine crossed his arms in front of his chest. "They won't escape us."

"By the way..." Peyote lowered his head. "We have a teammate that infiltrated your team before we attacked. He should be with your friends that are currently flying. He's an explosive specialist, if they shoot him, they will die."

Those words struch Ryu hard as he turned to look just as a large "BOOM!" erupted in the sky. The Eliza Mephisto looked like she had just been hit as an explosion dispersed near her. A large object fell from the sky to the ground with a loud thud.

Peyote laughed at the sound. "I thought it would end up like that."

"I don't like this guy." Ryu said through clenched teeth.

Turbine looked up at Peyote, expecting him to do something.

"What?" Peyote asked Ryu.

"I just saw your partner fall from the sky and it makes you laugh?" He tightened his grip around his wooden sword. "Guy who don't care about their teammates are trash!!"

"Hmm... Looks like he is trying to provoke us." Peyote said to Turbine from the shoulder of his Grande Phantasma. It felt good to be higher than Turbine for once, Peyote thought to himself. All I need now is Kaia. He grinned underneath his bandana.

"Your furyoku level seems higher than our's but I think your boss asked you to escape?" Turbine gazed at Ryu through his black hair.

"But, when I don't like something, I can't let it be." Ryu squinted at him angrily.

"I see." Turbine unfolded his arms, there was excitement in his eyes. He pressed the yellow gem in the palm of his hand with his left hand and held his right hand up as smoke began to come out and form a body. "Here is my last will of the day. You will kill him, Jin."

The genie rose up out of his hand and grinned evilly as he stared Ryu down with its ancient eyes. "Yes master!" He exclaimed happily.

Kaia opened her eyes suddenly in fear and she rolled over onto her back. Blocken sat a few yards away, staring out into the sea. "Blocken." She whispered to him.

He turned his head towards her. "Yeah?"

"I can't sleep." She murmured. She heard him sigh before he stood up and came closer.

"Are you cold?" He asked her as he towered over her. She shrugged. "Maybe the sand is uncomfortable." Kaia shrugged again.

"Turbine always lays next to me, it helps me fall asleep." She smiled sweetly up at him.

Blocken rolled his eyes under his mask and sighed. "I'm sorry if I sound too mean but that is Turbine's job." He walked back over and sat a distance away.

"Then I'll go find him." Kaia said as she rolled over onto her belly and pushed herself up from the sand, her hands disappearing into the sediment. Blocken turned suddenly from where he sat.

"But he said that he'll come back for you." He objected.

"I need him now." She simply said as she struggled to get herself up from the sand. It was like watching a baby trying to take its first steps.

"You can't go now! It's dark and you're physically ill! There's no telling what or who could be out there to get you." He mumbled worriedly.

"Lavaine will light my way." She found that she could crawl towards the grassy area and try to get up there.

"Kaia." Blocken said sternly. She huffed tiredly but didn't stop as she crawled up the beach towards the forest. "I forbid you to leave this beach." He had never felt that sense of authority before, Hao was his own authority when he had raised him.

"But Blocken..." She whined as she fell onto her back along the grass. She was already exhausted. "I need Turbine." She began to weep quietly.

"You need some rest. You came all the way out here to check on Big Guy and I, I'm sure your body was not healed enough to take that amount of activity yet." Blocken came up to her and handed her his ugly ochre cloak. "Here." He said and turned away to resume his post.

Kaia smiled and held the cloak close to her like a teddy bear. She didn't like the color much but it was warm and could substitute the human body that she was used too. Blocken was so nice, she thought as she closed her eyes and put her nose to the cloak. Such a caring and misunderstood person.

**To be continued in Chapter 40!**


	40. Chapter 40

Ryu flew through the air and skidded across the ground from a strong punch from Jin. He spat out blood as the genie swooped in front of him and pulled back its right arm. The ancient fist thrusted him into the Yamata No Orochi.

Peyote laughed as he watch Jin beat up Ryu. "Well, well, looks like you're unable to defend yourself. Where did all your pride go?" He asked.

"Shut up! I'm waiting firmly!" Ryu said, leaping up onto his feet and holding his wooden sword kendo-style. Jin landed another punch across Ryu's face, he was so quick and strong. I don't understand. Seems like my strength is useless, Ryu thought as he flew through the air. I think, this is going to turn out bad.

Kaia sat up in the sand and looked about her. Blocken had fallen asleep as he laid on his back in the sand, surrounded by the sleeping mice souls. She smiled sweetly. He loved those rodents so much, they stayed with him even after their deaths. Big Guy Bill was still asleep, the bleeding had stopped and washed away with the tide earlier in the night. Turbine had yet to return for her. She judged that it had been a couple hours, surely the attacker hadn't gone too far.

"Should I go?" She asked herself as she sat frozen in debate. "Or should I stay and be a lookout?" That feeling returned and she felt that she had to go. Her stomache started to glow orange and the voice returned.

"Stay here. I forbid you to go anywhere." Lavaine said sternly.

"What if they're in trouble?!" Kaia argued.

"They'll be alright, in fact, they're winning." He hummed. "But you need to stay here and guard the other two while they are asleep, hatchling."

"They're winning?" Kaia asked. "That's a change." She looked down at her belly. "But how can I fend off attackers? I can't do much in my condition."

"Don't worry, what you lack in body, I can make up for in spirit." The glow slowly faded and Kaia sat alone in the dark with the snoring Big Guy and occasional squeaks heard over the crashing waves of the ocean.

Jin stood by Turbine, at his command while Peyote stood on the Grande Phantasma's shoulder, itching to attack anything.

"Ryu!" Tokagero shouted as he hovered over his master. "Hey, wake up! This is no time to be sleeping, idiot!"

Turbine chuckled and stretched his fingers. "No matter how much you shout, it will be of no use, little soul. That man is going to die soon." He said.

"Don't spout useless nonsense!" Tokagero shouted at Turbine.

"It's not nonsense." He argued. "I said before that I wanted to kill him. My oversoul will listen to his master's commands one-hundred percent."

Jin gave Tokagero a cold, "I want to kill you" kind of stare that made the old ghost shiver in fear.

"Is that how you got Kaia to be your fiance?" Peyote asked from his high horse.

"No, Jin had no doing in that whatsoever." Turbine looked up at him from the corner of his eye. "I, unlike you, had enough courage and was sober enough to ask her to marry me and she said yes."

"Hey, my drinking problem is none of your business!" Peyote pointed angrily.

"That is probably the reason why Kaia is my fiance and not your's." Turbine snapped.

Peyote growled angrily and strummed an angry, harsh note on his guitar. The Grande Phantasma turned with its dagger raised to strike Turbine.

"You dare start a fight here and now?" Turbine questioned, unmoved by the sudden attack. "Don't you know I'm stronger than you?"

Suddenly the Grande Phantasma spun in the air and Peyote flew off of its shoulder. A large fist had punched it as the buddha appeared out of nowhere. Turbine stared in amazement and surprise. Ryu sat up and stared in awe. Peyote landed on the ground, his hat had flown off and the plastic in his goggles was shattered.

"Am I dreaming?" Ryu asked himself. "I never thought a buddha would actually come and save me!"

The buddha slowly walked away, its robe fluttering in the wind as it held up a small figure in its open palm.

"Really... So it's a dream after all." Ryu chuckled as he went over reasons why it was a dream. "Firstly, buddhas don't usually stand up and walk, do they? And the injuries that I received when I died have all completely disappeared. That's right! It's a dream! Let's pinch my face to confirm this." Ryu's hand shook violently as he reached up to pinch his face.

A tan hand grabbed his cheek and pinched it hard.

"ARGGHHH!! The pain is killing me!" Ryu cried as Turbine stood and pinched his face.

"Ryu!" Tokagero's eyes bulged as he watched the enemy pinch Ryu painfully. How powerful was this Arabian man?

"I too, wish this was a dream. But it looks like this wish won't come true." Turbine pinched harder. Ryu was crying his eyes out.

Peyote's eyes shot open and he sat up. "Damn it! He actually..."

"Stop it, the opponent's just too powerful." Turbine told him as he pinched Ryu.

Peyote sat silently then looked at Turbine. "What?"

"I felt that our actions were quite easy to intercept. Perhaps this is our fate. Also, these people are definitely people we can't defend ourselves against. Moreover, this time, the people we are fighting against are all herculean protectors of the spirits, the Gandara." Turbine explained.

"Ryunosuke." The figure called out from the palm of the buddha. They held a staff in their left hand and was clothed in a transparent veil and vibrant cloth. "We do not like useless fighting and killing. But the reason why we came to save you was because we received a strong prayer, a strong inclination from a kind and pure heart."

"Pure? Received? Is that why you knew my name? Ah, but these wounds!" Ryu touched his chest to make sure they were gone.

The figure smiled graciously. "If you wish to thank someone, then go and thank him." The beautiful woman turned and smiled at Ryu. Her long, light brown hair hung to her shoulders and her eyes were filled with kindness. She quickly spun back around. "Well then, I'll see you in the Shaman Fights."

"Let us go back as well." Peyote said to Turbine as he picked up his sombrero. "We already knew who was injured. About revenge, that can wait until next time."

"You do not wish to settle the argument about Kaia?" Turbine asked him as they walked back towards the beach. Peyote didn't answer. He knew he would lose if he was to battle Turbine. He would have to get help in order to defeat him.

**To be continued in Chapter 41!**


	41. Chapter 41

Kaia spun around when she heard the crunching of leaves and sticks behind her. An enemy? Or was it Turbine returning for her? She held her staff at the ready. Out of the forest came Peyote carrying his sombrero and his guitar. His blue eyes stared out at her longingly from his broken goggles. She remembered that she shouldn't have any contact with him and ignored him.

"I thought you would be asleep by now." He said as Turbine appeared beside him.

"I thought I told you to stay away." Turbine growled in his face.

"Oh, you're back!" Blocken exclaimed as he staggered. He hoped that Peyote didn't seem him sleeping on the job.

"Come on, you guys need medical treatment." Turbine said as he came up to Kaia. She obediantly stood up as he wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her up from the ground, carrying her over his shoulder.

"How will we get Big Guy back?" Kaia asked.

"I'll stay here with him and wait it out." Blocken offered.

"Really?" Kaia looked at him from over Turbine's shoulder.

"He heals fast, Blocken, so you probably won't be here long. Come back to base as soon as he wakes up." Peyote gave the order and turned to leave.

"Alright." Blocken said as Turbine turned to leave also. Kaia bobbed over his shoulder and waved at Blocken. He waved back, putting a smile on Kaia's face. She hoped he would be alright alone. Speaking of alone, she wondered what had happened to Zang-Ching.

"Where's Zang-Ching?" Kaia asked Turbine.

"He'll probably be at the base when we get back." Turbine replied. "Try to get some sleep on our way back, okay?"

"Okay." Kaia sighed as she dangled over his shoulder. She stared at the ground through her tunnel of red hair and slowly closed her eyes.

The dream came back to her yet again. So vivid, so real. She was running across the desert with Turbine, at least that's what she thought. When she looked over at him, he was gone. The Spanish accent told her not to look back but to go on. This time, she ignored the voice and stopped to look back. Her heart skipped thousands of beats, the heart that only beats for Turbine, she thought it had stopped when she saw him face down in the sand, dead. The dark liquid was matted in his hair and bled out into the golden, hot sand. She fell to her hands and knees, shocked and afraid. The platform rose up below her like before and the blood and screaming was about her. She didn't take much notice, she was still shaken by the sight of Turbine. The plastic rectangle reached out to her for the second time in her reoccuring dream and she saw the smiling face of Blocken, her protector. As she took his hand, it quickly changed into a soft, human hand. She looked up into his face which was no longer masked. He smiled at her warmly, he was aged by pain and worry for the few that he's ever cared for. His whole body was whole now and he wore a white t-shirt and khaki shorts.

"They are dead." He said to her with sympathy in his voice.

"Who's dead?" She asked through her sobs. He frowned and held her to his chest in an embrace. He whispered something in her ear and Kaia cried harder. She cried so hard that she had cried in her sleep and woke herself up.

"Kaia, are you alright?" Turbine asked as he looked at her, wiping her tears away and brushing her hair from her face.

She was laying on her bed at the base they were staying at. Turbine hovered over her, alive and well. She smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down with her on the bed. He stopped himself from falling on her by catching himself on the bed. She raised her head up and kissed him on the lips. His eyes fluttered and he closed them. The kiss was so warm and so short. In the heat of the moment, she pulled back and laid back on her pillow.

"I dreamt you were dead!" She exclaimed but suddenly smiled again. "But here you are, alive!"

Turbine was still speechless, he opened his eyes to see that they weren't kissing anymore. "What a silly dream." He said nervously.

"Oh, I'm just so glad we're together again!" Kaia said happily as she sat up in bed so she was at his level and hugged him. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, his mind still on the quick kiss.

The door opened and Lucchist entered. He stopped in the doorway with a surprise look on his face as the two lovers gazed at him.

"Am I interrupting anything?" He asked.

"Is it important?" Turbine sighed.

"Master Hao is about to take a walk." Lucchist quickly explained. "I'll be going now." He shut the door quietly but quickly.

Kaia smiled up at Turbine. He ran his fingers down her cheek. "I wish we didn't have to go places all the time." He said. She nodded. "I wish to live with you in a quiet little town, no war, no discrimination." He sighed, he wanted to live in peace which was too much to ask for, unfortuneatley.

"Can Jin make those wishes come true?" Kaia asked him.

"We would have to suffer the consequences. I don't know what we would have to suffer from living a peaceful life but to make a wish, you must face the consequences." He explained.

"I see. So if I wished that the tournament would be over, we would have to suffer from whoever would be Shaman King." Kaia mused.

"Yes, you got it. Maybe it is best that we wait to marry." Turbine smiled as he held her in his arms, brushing through her hair occasionally. "Well, let's get going. Master Hao is short in followers and I'm sure you would like to get some fresh air again." He let go of her and started for the door.

Kaia got down off the bed and grabbed her staff. "Mohammed, wait for me!" She said excitedly as she ran up to him while he stood and waited. She stood on her tippy-toes and brought his face down to her's, her eyes closed as their lips pressed together into a kiss. The second kiss was longer than the first, but it was not long enough for Turbine as Kaia pulled away again and he still had his eyes closed and lips puckered.

"You coming?" Kaia giggled from the hallway. He blushed and caught up with her, holding her hand as they walked down the hallway.

The night air was wonderful, so fresh and crisp! The leaves rattled in the trees as the wind rushed by, caused by the giant Spirit of Fire as it walked through the forest. In its clawed hand, it held Lord Hao, enjoying this beautiful, clear night.

Suddenly, the Spirit of Fire stopped. It had caught something in its free hand. "Golem, the symbol of a vanishing people."

"Hao!!" A voice shouted from deep inside the forest.

"And here I thought it was someone else. It's you again, Yoh." He said from his throne. "Your injuries look serious. Were they caused by this guy?" He asked as the Spirit of Fire held up the robot he had caught.

'Those things don't matter." Yoh said from a clearing. He held his left side with his right hand as it bled through his clothes. "Release Golem now... Why are you here?"

"Why don't you take a stroll with me, brother?" Hao stared down at him lovingly.

"Nii-san! Golem's been restrained by that guy!" A boy cried as he ran towards Yoh.

"Don't come here Redseb!" Yoh shouted at him. "Run away, hurry. He is my brother." Yoh gritted his teeth as he leaned up against a tree. The boy named Redseb stopped and turned as he heard someone approaching behind him.

"My, my, sorry but we can't let you leave." Kana said as Hanagumi appeared in the clearing. "I believe I've said this to you before. Your spirits belong to us."

"Ah-ha! You're the ones from this morning!" Redseb exclaimed.

A dark chuckle was heard at the other end of the clearing as Lucchist and Opacho came into sight.

"At this stage, getting it or not doesn't matter, Hanagumi." Lucchist said. "Oh, so this is the Golem they've been talking about?" He stroked his beard as he studied it. "I've been finding the craftmanship more and more detailed."

"What do you mean by that, Lucchist?" Kana growled with a cigarette in her mouth.

"What he means is that the child is not the one with all the power, it's Golem!" Zang-Ching told her as he stepped through the clearing along with Peyote.

"Who the heck are you guys!" Redseb shouted.

"Damn it... of all times." Yoh frowned. "Is it the assemly of everyone on Hao's side?"

"Two people are absent due to medical reasons!" Opacho held up two fingers.

"Today's another busy day." Turbine sighed depressingly as he held Kaia close to him, their arms wrapped around each other.

"But it doesn't matter because in the end we found a huge prey." Peyote said to him as he pulled out his oracle bell. "The furyoku of those two kids only add up to sixteen-hundred but what's amazing is the amount of furyoku Golem has... That's five-hundred fifty-thousand! Is this the power of inner furyoku?"

**To be continued in Chapter 42!**


	42. Chapter 42

Yoh sat clueless. What was inner furyoku? How come he never heard that term before? Lucchist walked up to him with a warm smile. "Ah, you never heard of inner furyoku, Master Yoh?"

Kaia grinned. Turbine and Blocken had touched on the subject a couple of times. Blocken believes that Kaia has a storage of inner furyoku which explains the reason why she survives injuries a lot.

"Usually shamans will use up their furyoku to create an oversoul. Of course, if you have low levels of furyoku, you cannot summon a strong spirit. To supplement that fact, inner furyoku was created." Lucchist explained. "Inner furyoku is like car batteries." He chose a great example. "Like electricity, you can fill it with furyoku. But of course, you need to recharge it after using it!"

"Recharge?" Yoh started to sort the new information in his head. "But, where could five-hundred fifty-thousand worth of furyoku possibly... could one really store furyoku in an item?"

"This, you won't know unless you are the creator yourself. If you're not afraid of the consequences, you can ask him directly. You can ask Dr. Camel Munzer, the one who operates Golem by possessing his own daughter!"

Kaia looked up at Turbine worriedly. She had heard little about Golem, an ancient guardian of a race but this robot being an object of possession like Peyote and the Boz? She didn't quite understand. Turbine simply looked on at the robot with what seemed like bitter hate.

"But I don't think he'll admit to it in front of his own son, but that doesn't matter since Master Hao..." Lucchist stroked his beard before he was interrupted by Golem.

"No... Like I'll ever let you try!" Golem spread open the Spirit of Fire's fingers in a quick spin, spreading its arms out. "Golem is..." He declared as it rose in the air above the Spirit of Fire. "A machine made to save homeless people like us! How can I ever reveal that secret to people like you!?" The machine buzzed as lids opened on the front of its body. "EMETH BLAST!!" A giant yellow beam shot out from its body and hit the Spirit of Fire's shoulder and right antler, burning it off. Golem disappeared in front of the Spirit of Fire and reappeared behind it. "Everytime an oversoul is damaged, the shaman's furyoku descreases." His arm pulled back for a punch. "Shuviira!" It shouted as its fist went forward into the back of the Spirit of Fire, extended by a long chain.

Kaia watched in awe. She had never seen the Spirit of Fire punched around like a ragdoll before. This Golem was powerful! She looked back up at Turbine again, her eyes full of questions and curiousity. His were full of spite, she didn't know why. Master Hao hadn't lost yet.

Suddenly the Spirit of Fire grabbed Golem out of the dust of the battle.

"Stop!" Yoh cried as his oversoul changed into a giant sword. "Hao, I'm your opponent!"

"You say, you want to take me on?" Hao asked with an angry gaze. "You actually think I'll accet?" The corners of his mouth transformed into a grin.

"I'm very clear that no matter how hard I try, I can't beat you." Yoh panted. "Even so, I will not allow you to touch Golem."

Hao chuckled. "Are you serious?" He asked his brother. He saw that Yoh was determined to fight him. "Zang-Ching." Hao called.

"Understood!" Zang-Ching replied as he leaped forward, sling his gong at Yoh and cutting his mid-section.

"Peyote." Hao called again.

"No problema." He answered as he did a scary note on his guitar and his puppets leaped forward at Yoh with knives, stabbing him in every place they could reach.

Redseb ran forward to help.

"Turbine."

He stopped the boy in his tracks. "Looks like the wishes you made to your spirit ran out today." He said with a depressing sigh as he stared angrily at the boy.

"There's no need to look so depressed!" Redseb exclaimed.

"Kaia."

She smiled and ran forward at Yoh, her staff now a flaming branch of wood with a pheonix head on the top. When she approached him, the beak opened up and spat fire at him while he was preoccupied with the puppets. Peyote's puppets jumped out of the way just in time before Yoh starting to roll around on the ground to put the fire out.

Hao laughed at Yoh's pathetic attempts against him and his followers. "Excellent Yoh." He congratulated him with a smile. "Now do you finally understand? At this point in time, you can't even defeat them, let alone me. I praise you for your ingeniuality by manipulating your oversoul for medical treatment. However, that is not enough, and I can't bear to see anymore. You are my other important half so stop trying to act tough." Hao squinted his eyes at him. "I'll just leave after finishing Golem." He decided.

The Spirit of Fire opened its jaws and held Golem to its mouth just as Yoh leaped up with his giant sword oversoul.

"I'm very sorry Hao." He breathed as he raised the sword above his head, ready to slash the spirit in half.

Everyone watched intently at Yoh's stupidity as he attempted to attack Hao directly.

"Insignificant!" Hao growled.

A large mechanical angel breezed through with a rapier, the feathers flying in the air through the wind tunnel. Then a small dowsing crystal came flying through the air and wrapped around Golem, snatching him out of the Spirit of Fire's claw.

"Yoh! I'll handle Golem!" Lyserg shouted as he appeared next to his angel, Zelel.

"Lyserg!?" Yoh was surprised and thankful he was here.

"Angel!?" Lucchist exclaimed. "Is it the X-Laws?"

"Brats!" Kana growled as she and Hanagumi ran forward at Yoh but were cut off by a sudden glacier that charge back at them.

"I reccomend that you guys not move a step closer." Horohoro said as the mist cleared. He wore a pair of navy blue boxers, which Hanagumi didn't take too kindly to.

"Boxers!!" Matilda exclaimed.

"Why is another pervert spoiling our plan!?" Kana asked as her cigarette fell out of her mouth.

"I'm no pervert. My name's Horohoro." He frowned.

"My apologies, I just bathed." Ren explained.

Yoh staggered and fell to the ground, his giant sword oversoul disappearing.

Ren turned his head towards him. "Are you alright, Yoh?" He called back to him.

"Ah, thank goodness for you guys, Ren and Horohoro." Yoh huffed. "But what are you guys doing here?"

"I was the one who told them to come." Lyserg replied. "Because of what you said bothered me, I've been tailing you ever since. I've seen everything."

"What I said?" Yoh asked, not remembering anything.

"Sine I'm already here, might as well retaliate." Lyserg said as he gazed at Hao and the Spirit of Fire.

"But you said you saw everything." Yoh mentioned.

"Of course, I meant everything. I even saw Golem murder Chocolove." He said. "My parents were killed by Hao, so I can understand how they feel. That's why I didn't interfere. I'm beginning to understand what you've said now. That's why I brought everyone here regardless of the perils that await us. To understand ourselves, that's when we can truely fight together under the bonds of our friendship."

The forest was filled with silence after Lyserg's supporting speech. Hao stared down at him with a slight smile.

"Is it friendship?" He asked. "I don't really understand it. Up until now, I have never witnessed any types of friendship from anyone before." He smirked. "Sometimes having too much power, can be painful as well."

The Spirit of Fire's right arm blazed with fire as it regenerated.

"The arm that was cut off by Lyserg, grew back!" Horohoro shouted.

Golem shuddered. "How is that possible..." The voice said from inside the machine. "Golem's oversoul is capable of completely destroying a giant oversoul! I can't believe that it can be restored! Just how much furyoku does he have? The reiyoku used in the giant oversoul is three-hundred thirty-thousand. The furyoku is one-hundred twenty-five million!? What is this? Can something this powerful be restored three times? No! So does it suggest that even if we attacked as planned, the amount of furyoku is still not enough? The most important thing to keep in mind is we were to continue successfully, it would be too risky!"

Redseb stared worriedly at Golem, wondering why his father couldn't see him.

"I see, so he is the father that was killed by Chocolove." Horohoro gritted his teeth angrily. "But he was so involved with that thing that he would go so far as possessing his daughter's body, isn't that a little stange?"

"The price he had to pay in order to create that... never thought that Chocolove's actions would interfere with his evil plans. Now we don't know who's to blame." Ren told him.

Redseb turned around angrily. Yoh gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Redseb." He said to the boy. "Your dad's situation is one in which God himself couldn't help. He had died putting all of his thoughts and energy into his beloved Golem, so he's not aware of what's happening around him. I do not know why your dad had created him and how much he sacrificed, but I am positive that this thing means a lot to him. So believe in your dad. He is a shaman as well, right? People with the ability to see spirits can never be so bad." He smiled.

Horohoro grunted. "There is no good or bad. It's not something anyone can decide."

"It doesn't matter what you are doing, but all the responsibilities will eventually return to you." Lyserg said as he reloaded his gun.

"In a world where law exists, one who does something wrong will have to be punished by law. In a world where law doesn't exist, no matter what happens you will never be protected by law. So, if I attacked, I will be attacked as well. But the most important thing is heart. We have already made preparations for that thought." Yoh said to his friends.

"Hmph!" Turbine grunted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Kaia stood next to him with her staff transformed into a crossbow.

'Then let us have a match." Zang-Ching smiled as he held up his gong by the chain.

"Idiot!" Matilda laughed. "With only the few of you, you won't be able to defeat us, let alone Master Hao."

Everyone was ready to go into battle, their oversouls charging and mediums at hand.

"You guys still won't give up on Golem no matter what?" Lucchist asked Yoh.

"Yeah, right now, everyone is here." He replied.

Hao gazed down at the intense conflict and closed his eyes. "That giant oversoul is pretty impressive. Spirit of the Sword! It was created through Matamune's Oni Goroshi, right?" Hao asked Yoh when he opened his eyes again.

Yoh's friends stood around in confusion while he smirked. "Yeah, that's why Admidamaru and I are able to invent it."

Hao smiled. "It is becoming more and more painful to look at that giant oversoul. Because it may have been my only friend." He said as he and the Spirit of Fire both gazed up at the heavens together. "The stars have appeared. Now that I think about it, I haven't been able to finish my walk yet." He said before the Spirit of Fire began to lead the parade of followers through the forest again.

"He left... just like that." Horohoro stared at the empty spot where the Spirit of Fire once towered.

**To be continued in Chapter 43!**


	43. Chapter 43

Peyote, Turbine, Kaia and Zang-Ching sat out on the balcony of the base watching the stars. Kaia was dressed in her pink night-gown and Peyote was wearing his heavy duty pants and boots while blowing choking cigar smoke in their faces as the wind wafted it their way.

"Wow, Golem is really powerful!" Kaia exclaimed as she thought about the fight earlier that night.

"He has a lot of inner furyoku as Peyote said." Zang-Ching pushed his glasses up his nose.

"He's full of sin too." Turbine muttered. Everyone's attention turned to him, save Peyote's.

"Ah, not this bullshit again." Peyote puffed a circle of smoke into the air and it drifted out into the trees.

Kaia looked up at Turbine, looking for answers.

"Oh." Zang-Ching said before getting up and leaving.

"Kaia, there's something you need to learn about Turbine." Peyote said to her, breaking the rules. "He hates Jews."

She looked from Peyote to Turbine. "Is that true?" She asked Turbine. He nodded. "But... You taught me never to judge people. That it was evil to judge and... that makes you a hypocrite. How could you?" Kaia stuttered as she tried to let out her thought and feelings.

Turbine lowered his head in shame. "I am a Muslim, our beliefs are different from the Jews'. But there's another thing you must understand Kaia. Golem is evil, Dr. Munzer is evil for creating such a being.

"Don't switch the subject!" Peyote snapped.

"You hate the Jews because of what Munzer did?" Kaia moved away from him.

"No, no." He breathed a heavy sigh. "Please, don't hate me." He said as he stared down at the trees.

"I don't know anymore." Kaia said as tears came to her eyes. Everything Turbine had ever taught her about judgement and the evils of the world now made him evil too. "I... I'm going to bed. You can sleep in your bed." She said before she ran through the door, hiding her eyes.

Turbine's head fell into his hands.

"Ha! You got put out like a dog." Peyote grinned.

"Shut up, Peyote." Turbine growled.

Peyote muffled his laughter as he went through the door to leave Turbine alone. Maybe he should cause some more trouble? Nah, Kaia was already asleep, he decided as he saw her silently breathing. That was quick.

Turbine came through the door and saw that Kaia was already asleep in her own bed. He sighed sadly. She hated him. He was a hypocrite and she was above marrying a hypocrite. She'd be better off marrying Peyote, sadly. At least he didn't have any famous ethnical differences like Turbine did against the Jews. He fell face-down into his pillow and wished he could take it all back. Re-do it all, all the way back to the point when he first met Kaia. It was probably fate that this had happened, he thought. This was the consequence of his wish to marry Kaia.

Kaia woke up the next morning to find that she was alone. No one lay beside her and Turbine wasn't in his bed. She sat up and looked around. Big Guy Bill was snoring in his bed, recooperating from his battle. Blocken was gone, Zang-Ching was gone. She saw that everyone was gone except Peyote, who smoked a cigar as he sat on his bed across the room from her. He gave her a smile when their eyes met.

"Alone again, hm?" He took a puff.

"Where's Turbine?" She asked him.

"Must it always be about him?" He sighed as he laid on his bed with his boots on.

"He is my fiance, afterall. I deserve to know his whereabouts." Kaia said as she slid off her bed.

"He said he was going to the beach to get some time to think and that you couldn't go to find him." Peyote flicked his cigar, the ashes falling to the ground.

Kaia disappeared into a separate room and came out moments later in her red dress. She grabbed her staff and headed for the door.

"Are you seriously going to go find him?" Peyote stopped her.

Kaia didn't even answer, she walked out the door and weaved through the military base until she was in the forest. She headed to the West coast where Turbine was at the beach. She wanted to talk to him and get things straightened out again. She loved him and wanted to know more about him. It surprised her enough that she didn't know the small detail about his beliefs. He failed in telling her that. He failed in telling her that he was part evil too. She hated to think that but it ruled against what she had been taught.

The world is evil because it judges people and therefore anyone who judges anyone was evil too. Kaia always opened up to everyone, but if they gave her a bad first impression, she didn't want anything to do with evil people. Hanagumi for example always eye her down like an inferior. She had tried to talk to them before but they shrugged her off and Matilda blew a raspberry in her face. Kaia didn't like that much and cried in Turbine's arms for the rest of that afternoon. Now she would be crying into a hypocrite's arms. She didn't know what to think of him or say to him anymore but one thing was certain, she still loved him.

He heard the sand shifting under her feet as she approached and spun around to gaze into her hazel eyes. "Kaia... I... You shouldn't be here." He stuttered.

"Says who?" She asked him as she sat down on a log.

"I did. I told Peyote to let you know-"

"I thought Peyote wasn't allowed to talk to me."

"I'm a hypocrite so what would it matter?" Turbine saw she was hurt inside. He knew she was, she was engaged to a hypocrite. "Go marry Peyote. You two are so much alike. You both have red hair, anger problems and you both lost something dear to you." Turbine turned away and gazed at the sea as the sun rose on the horizon. "You'd be better off without me anyways."

"You are judging people again."

He whirled around to face her.

"Just because two people look or act alike doesn't mean they should be together. Take you and me for example." She stood up and brushed his unkept hair with her fingers. "You have short black hair, I have long red hair. You have dark skin and I have light skin. But we are both humans. Shamans with a heart. And don't two people in love share their hearts? See? We share something else too, our hearts!" Kaia smiled at him.

Turbine laughed quietly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "You can never be tainted by evil." He smiled at her.

"Then must I look past your judgement?" Kaia asked as Turbine bent down to kiss her but she put her head against his chest.

"I'm afraid it cannot be helped. I am sorry to have mislead you but I want you to be above the evils in the world. You are so innocent and pure." He said to her as he brushed her hair.

Blocken watched from behind a tree as they kissed and made-up. Kaia was not so innocent as Turbine thought she was. In fact, she was just as dangerous as Hao. He squinted his eyes at the thought of Kaia's potential. The power was amazing! If he could somehow unlock this power... he could stop Hao from being Shaman King.

**To be continued in Chapter 44!**

* * *

**None of the dialogue or ideas mentioned in this chapter reflects my opinion on racism, in fact, I am not a racist. This chapter was really hard for me to write, by the way. -Cokhead**


	44. Chapter 44

"Your wounds are healing up nicely." Blocken told Kaia as they sat across from each other on the linoleum floor.

Kaia was wrapped in bandages and wore a white t-shirt and red shorts. Her red hair was up in a loose ponytail, tied by her red ribbon. She ran her finger along her wooden staff waiting for something to happen. It had been pretty quiet for a couple days, beside Big Guy's snoring.

"Your furyoku rose again. It's up to nine-thousand five-hundred." Blocken said when he calculated her furyoku level on his oracle bell.

"That's good." Kaia sighed and put her staff down. "I've been bored these past couple days."

"I was wondering about that. Perhaps Master Hao will have a mission for us tonight?" He said, hopeful. "Would you like to take a short walk with me?"

"I'd be glad to." Kaia smiled at him. "Dad."

Blocken blushed beneath his mask. "I'd rather you not call me that." He said before he got up off the floor.

"Oh, alright." Kaia hid her embarrassment as she followed him out the door.

She did not quite understand why Blocken didn't like to be called that. Maybe it made him feel old? As he toddled along beside her, his cloak flowing in the wind, she began to think of him as a little brother but she quickly detoured from that thought. He'd be so angry if he found that out, she thought to herself with a grin.

They walked through the forest together, Kaia using her staff as a support. She enjoyed the fresh air after being cooped up in the dusty old military base they stayed in. Blocken looked up at her several times, wondering how to imply about her power or whether he should even tell her.

"What was the real reason that you wanted to take me on a walk, Blocken?" Kaia asked curiously, sensing a deeper meaning to the proposal to walk.

"Eh! Nothing, I just thought you would like some fresh air, that's all." Blocken lied as he sweated nervously.

"Hm." Kaia hummed as she looked on to the path ahead and saw an object in the road that caught her curiousity. "Oh!" She jogged forward to check it out.

Blocken came up behind her to inspect what she had found. She bent over as her knees folded under her and picked up the little thing in her cupped hands.

"What is it Kaia?" He asked her, peering over her shoulder.

A small, bald, brown body with a dull yellow beak and claws laid in her hands. Its beady eyes stared up at her as it stretched out its broken wing.

"A baby bird." She told him. "And it has a broken wing. Poor thing." Kaia gazed sadly at it until a memory came back to her. How Turbine took care of her when she was lonely and hurt. "Can I take care of it Blocken?"

Blocken sighed. He knew how she felt about the bird but he knew it wouldn't last long. She wouldn't be able to take care of it like a mother bird would and now it was tainted with her scent. There was no hope of returning him now. It's broken wing would be a minor casualty. If it was an adult bird, it wouldn't have mattered. He didn't want Kaia to be disappointed if the bird died but she would feel like it would die without her, the situation was the exact opposite.

"Yes, you can take care of it." He told her, giving into her childish nature.

"I'm naming him Freedom because one day he'll be free. I'll fix you up and you'll be able to fly again." She told the little bird as she and Blocken walked back towards the base.

"That day will come sooner than you think." Blocken whispered to himself as Kaia talked to Freedom.

The bird lay in the bottom of a shoe box lined with a blanket. Its little broken wing was now in a makeshift cast, the best Kaia could do with popsicle sticks and tape. She stared down happily at it as it stared back with sad, beady eyes.

"He's probably hungry, Kaia." Blocken suggested from the doorway.

"I will go dig up some worms." Kaia smiled, running out the door.

"She's so cute." Bill smirked from his bed. He had woken up shortly after Blocken and Kaia left for their walk and observed Kaia's useless attempts to help the bird.

"I cannot deny that. She'll be so upset if something happens to that bird." Blocken sighed.

"It'll help her learn about life and death. As much as I'd rather her not, it'll make her more mature."

"It's for the best." Blocken said. "I doubt she's ever had a pet before."

"We'll have to find her a dog or something." Bill chuckled.

"It'd be our luck if it had a disease and died the next day."

"Ah, poor Kaia." Bill sighed. "It doesn't take much to make her happy."

Kaia suddenly bursted through the door, her shirt was full of dirt and worms. "I found a bunch!" She exclaimed and poured the dirt onto the floor in front of the shoebox and began to pull out a worm, feeding it to Freedom. It seemed to know it was there but refused to eat. Kaia frowned. "He's not eating. Freedom, don't you know you have to eat? Worms are good, all birds eat worms."

Blocken shook his head as he watched her try to feed the bird.

"Maybe he would like some sunflower seeds? I heard they like those too." Bill suggested.

"Oh?" Kaia looked at him, surprised. "I saw some near the place I dug up the worms. I'll be right back!" She ran out the door again.

"It's dying." Blocken told Bill. Bill nodded in reply. He could feel its life force depleting too.

Kaia hummed happily as she plucked seeds from the sunflower heads and putting them into the front of her shirt that she lifted up to form a carrier. She hoped Freedom would eat these. If he wanted to get better, he had to eat. Turbine always forced her to eat when they were in the desert. She was starving and very scrawny when they had first met, Turbine wanted to help her. Kaia wanted to help Freedom so he could fly with the other birds someday soon.

"Excuse me, young maiden." A voice said from behind her as a hand grasped her shoulder.

She turned around with a warm smile to see a man wearing a forest green cloak with the hood up but she could see his face. He had short cropped black hair that reminded her of Basil's, she pushed the thought out of her way. His nose was unnaturally long and reminded her of a hummingbird or one of those exotic animals she had seen in the markets called an "ant-eater." His chin jutted out with a short black beard like Lucchist's and he had an enchanting smirk. His eyes was what caught her most. When she saw them, she thought of the Egyptian heiroglyphs she had seen during her travels. His eyes were dark and strong, outlined with black eyeliner like the Eye of Horus. Her face went white as she remembered who he looked like most.

"Anatel? But I thought you were dead?" Kaia took a step back and dropped her seeds in fear.

"Anatel is my deceased brother. I am Anahol, heir to the throne." He pulled down his hood and placed his hands on Kaia's shoulders. "You're from Kodomo-gumi, one of Hao's teams right?"

"Yes." Kaia nodded reluctantly, swallowing hard.

"I need you to take me to Hao." He smiled.

"What for?" She eyed him carefully.

"Business matters." His nose almost touched her's. She stared down at it, her eyes crossing.

"I'm engaged, don't come so close." She said as she pushed him away.

"Ah, but you are so young." He smirked as he followed her down the beaten path.

"Does it matter what age you have to be to fall in love?" She asked the question she had often asked herself.

"Well, not really if you believe in that soul mate stuff."

"I do." Kaia simply said as she gazed up through the leaves while they walked. She truly believed Turbine was her soul mate, she had that feeling that she was meant to know him ever since they met. There was a reason and what other reason than him being her soul mate?

Kaia leaped into the room, shutting the door behind her. She had saved a few seeds in her shirt pocket so she successfully brought food back for Freedom. "I had run into this man named Anahol and he wanted to speak to Master Hao." She explained her dilemna as she sat in front of the shoebox.

Blocken stood by the window while Bill turned in bed on his side.

"Why isn't Freedom moving?" Bill tried to go to sleep so he could escape the situation.

"He's not opening his eyes." Blocken lowered his head.

"He's not breathing!"

**To be continued in Chapter 45!**

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**I wrote this chapter because of my late cat, Fraunce and late guinea pig, Curly Joe. R.I.P - Cokehead**


	45. Chapter 45

It was a gloomy, overcast day when Bill and Blocken helped bury Freedom next to the memorial they had put up for Basil. Kaia laid a white lily on the pile of dirt and wept quietly as an Egyptian man in a white suit approached her, his face showing equal sadness.

"You okay, girl?" He asked her with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Kaia didn't answer as tears streamed down her face. Blocken walked up beside Anahol.

"She'll manage." He told him. "Let's head back Kaia, Hao is going to begin the festival soon."

Kaia stood up and followed Blocken like a ghost. Anahol trailed behind, wondering what this "festival" was. When Kaia had led him to Hao's base, he disappeared purposely. He felt bad for leaving without a warning but it wasn't time yet to talk to Hao. He saw the familiar red hair bobbing through the forest later on and found her again. He figured Kaia would become another piece in the puzzle of avenging his brother's death.

They all stopped when they heard people talking not too far away. Kaia tightened the grip on her staff and hid behind a tree. She peeked around the trunk and dashed for the next tree.

"I trained her." Blocken smiled under his mask with pride.

"She seems pretty smart." Anahol whispered.

Kaia spied on the people from behind a tree closest to the path they were walking on. She stayed hidden, listening to their conversation and trying to see who it was. There was a boy as short as Blocken with sandy blonde hair and a baby blue jacket. She recognized him as Yoh's friend that she seems hanging around him all the time. What a lucky find! The other person was a girl with long blue hair and Indian designs on her clothes. She looked awfully familiar, like Horohoro. Kaia quietly pressed buttons on her oracle bell. They both had no furyoku, it would be an easy win and a great hostage situation. She didn't know exactly what Master Hao had in mind with these kids but it would be a good motive to kidnap them. Hao would be pleased.

Kaia's staff hummed as she placed it firmly on the ground in front of her. The feathers she had collected and tied to it waved slightly in the wind. Their purpose was for channeling, a beginner's move in techniques. Turbine had tried to teach it to her when they were traveling. She had mastered it quickly but preferred not to channel with her staff. She quickly thought of a way to take them without any trouble.

She leaped out from behind the tree in front of them, making a loud crash through the bushes and surprising them. She hoped Blocken and Anahol would catch on and help her. She raised her staff to the girl's eye level and raised her right hand to the boy's eye level.

"Don't move. I will burn your faces off." She growled. She believed that she couldn't really do that but she did not know her true power.

"If you try to run, my sphinx will eat you for lunch." Anahol said smugly as it held a whip up. Behind him rose a giant stone statue with life to it. Kaia had seen one before! A half-man, half-lion creature called the sphinx. Kaia stared in awe at it before she was interrupted by the girl's threats.

"My big brother will come and save us! He won't like what you're doing." She shouted.

"Horohoro's sister." Kaia mused. "I've always wanted to have a go at him." She smiled.

"Kaia, you're not strong enough." Blocken said.

"Says you. He beat you in reiyoku by total chance. He won't do that to me." Kaia grinned at the thought. Lavaine was itching for battle.

Blocked was embarrassed every time that battle was mentioned. He stood silently and watched Kaia and Anahol play it out.

Suddenly, the blue-haired girl turned and ran by Anahol who was caught off guard.

"Pirika!" The boy shouted at her.

Kaia grimaced, caught the boy by the jacket and carried him with her as she chased after the girl with a crossbow.

"Go Lavaine!" Kaia shouted as she pulled the trigger.

A fiery arrow with a bird's head shot out of the crossbow and headed straight for the girl. Big fiery wings erupted from the wooden arrow and it soared through the air and attacked her like it had done to Peyote. Claws thrashing, beak poking. The girl rolled around on the ground, trying to shield her face.

"I told you not to run." Kaia said as she walked up to her with the boy in her right hand, balled up like a kitten when its mother grabs it around the nape of its neck. "Now come with me." She took the girl's hand and pulled her up. The bird was called off and disappeared.

"I give that a B." Blocken told her as they walked towards base. Anahol had disappeared again without telling anyone.

Kaia grunted. She wasn't very happy with her performance either. "I can only do so much."

"I believe you can do more." Blocken said as he gazed on, imagining the power within her.

"You won't get away with this!" Pirika shouted as Kaia pulled her along by the wrist.

"Yes we will." Kaia argued.

"No you won't!"

"Yes, we will." Kaia growled in her face.

"Stop it you two. Geez, it's like babysitting a bunch of kids." Blocken sighed and walked on.

"Like you're one to talk." The boy retorted. Blocken quickly turned around, furious.

"Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Kaia said to the boy quickly, frozen in fear of Blocken.

The blocks began to form into a huge dinosaur that towered over the boy who trembled in Kaia's grip and as she believes, wet his pants too. The three children stared in horror at the huge beast as it came down to grab them in its jaws and gobble them up. Suddenly, it disappeared and Blocken's fury died down. He had scared them out of their mind and he was satisfied.

They now all walked quietly back to base, their faces white as paste and their eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Blocken snickered to himself, he had even scared Kaia. He smiled, at least she had forgotten about Freedom for a moment. She wasn't bawling her eyes out every second anymore. She was happy to have gotten hostages for the festival. He hoped Hao would be pleased with what they found.

**To be continued in Chapter 46!**


	46. Chapter 46

"Usui Horokeu! That's Horohoro's real name." Hao said to Lucchist with his back turned as he walked among the rubble that they called home.

"Oh? Then Horohoro, is that some kind of nickname?" Lucchist asked him as he followed Hao up the steps.

"That's right. But I think he's trying to hide his real name." Hao said as he easily climbed the many flights of stairs. Rats scattered as he walked as if they feared him like everyone else.

"Why is that?"

"In Horohoro's language, Horokeu means 'wolf'. Legends say that his ancestors were born from the union of a princess and a wolf. They also believe that the wolf is a sacred animal."

"The wolf?" Lucchist asked confusedly. All wolves were sacred to some cultures.

"Of course. The extinct wolf. It's about the Japanese wolf." Hao said as they stopped in a room with a giant generator in it. "I think that the relationship between Horohoro and the Japanese wolf might be a second personality."

"I see. So Horohoro's other personality would be a lone wolf?" Lucchist asked, stroking his beard.

"You're very sharp, Lucchist." Hao smirked. Lucchist felt the wamness of the compliment and smiled. "However, I can't completely confirm it." Hao returned to the subject at hand. "All I know is that the words contain hidden meanings! If the soul accepts a name, it ends up creating a personality. That is what gives rise to the appearance of our oversoul. It's an interesting history. In their language, Ufui means 'flames' but the Japanese have a word called 'usui'. Usui is the symbol for ice but the origin of the word means flames."

"That's stange." Lucchist stroked his beard. "When he fought Blocken at the beach, nothing surprising happened. "Lord Hao, do you intend to use Hao's power?"

"That's not possible. He'll refuse my offer before I even ask." Hao walked briskly through the generator room. "He isn't the type to be manipulated. Plus, he's strong. People want strong fighters on their side. A lot of people!"

Lucchist began to see things clearly now. "Gandara and the Five Warriors!"

"The Shaman fight has mysteries that cannot be measured by furyoku!" Hao exclaimed as he stood in front of two giant, metal doors. "Those who uncover the mysteries will be the ones to pass this test!" The doors slowly opened, shedding light onto the faces of Hao's followers who lined up on either sides of the room. "We'll start by dealing with Gandara. Team Tsuki-gumi, do as I commanded. Team Hana-gumi, I'm counting on you to win the next match. Lucchist, you will find Opacho."

"Yes, my lord!" Lucchist saluted.

"Kaia, you will keep the hostages here. They'll come looking for them soon." Hao said to Kaia as she stood with the two hostages in either hands. "And also... Yoh, has he become strong?" Hao asked Lucchist.

"He's not bad!" Lucchist replied.

Hao threw his cloak behind him in a strong sweep as the Spirit of Fire manifested above him. "Let us begin the Festival of the Stars!" He exclaimed.

Kaia sighed as everyone left. She was now left alone with these two. How could she make anyone proud if no one was there to witness her accomplishments? she decided to make the best of it to keep herself out of trouble.

"Do you guys like to play chess?" Kaia asked them. "Or how about Go?"

"I like chess." The boy smiled.

"I have never heard of any of those games." Pirika moped.

"I didn't catch your names. I'm Kaia." She smiled happily to cheer them up.

"I'm Morty and that's Pirika, Horohoro's sister. I suppose you've met him already." The little boy said.

"Yes." Kaia replied as she led them to the dorm where Turbine kept the chess board. "Blocken, my mentor, fought him a week ago. Your brother seems really smart." She smiled back at Pirika.

"He's not that smart." Pirika grinned.

"I've never had that priviledge to have a brother or a sister. I was alone until I met Turbine. I would like to have a sibling." Kaia gazed sadly at the ground as they walked.

"Is that why you kidnapped us?" Morty asked her as he raced up on her heels.

"Oh, no. I kidnapped you guys because I thought it would be fun." Kaia grinned. "But I guess we could act like that was the reason. If you guys want to play along." She laughed. "I've never played with anyone before. Even Basil was too mature for that." A tear ran down her cheek as she thought of the children she had seen play in the street. She was fifteen and getting married! She never got a chance to be a child, she had to grow up so quickly.

"Kaia, are you alright?" Morty asked her worriedly.

Kaia shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Yes, thank you. I'm fine. Here's where we all sleep." Kaia said as she opened the door. She pointed to a bed with a brown bag hanging from it. "That's my bed and the one next to it is Turbine's." She led them into the room and ran to her bed. "I wonder where he put it..." She mumbled as she dug under her bed and then Turbine's.

"It's amazing, all of you guys live here in this old military base together?" Morty asked Kaia as he and Pirika looked around in the room.

"Yep. Master Hao, Lucchist, Opacho, Bill, all of us here in this building." Kaia dug through the drawers of the end table.

"Aren't there any girls our age, Kaia?" Pirika asked.

"Oh... yeah. Hanagumi but they aren't too nice to me." Kaia fumbled through loose papers and oddities.

"What... What do they do to you?" Pirika asked her sympathetically.

"Nothing, they just aren't nice." Kaia shoved the subject away. "Most of the others are extra-friendly." She saw the beautiful gold and black chessboard and gasped. "There it is!" She exclaimed as she carefully pulled it out. "Here, we'll play on the floor at the foot of the bed so we won't be in anyone's way." Kaia said thoughtfully as she placed the chessboard at the end of her bed and took the pieces out of the hollow box. Like there was anyone else there for them to get in the way.

"I'll play against you first Kaia so Pirika can see how to play." Morty suggested as he helped Kaia position the beautiful pieces.

"Okay. Sounds good." Kaia grinned.

The door creaked open slightly and the corner of an ochre cloth peeked through. Poor Kaia, she never had that before. Some friends to play with her. Everyone else here was always too busy. Blocken could only imagine the troubles Kaia had gone through before Turbine found her. She was such an interesting young girl, he often found himself thinking about her. How did she survive? Did she have any kind of education? What did she go through up until the point Turbine found her? Blocken was sure that her guardian ghost helped her along the way but a spirit can only do so much for a physical being. He wanted to know more about her!

"Hey Kaia! What are you playing?" Blocken asked her as he bursted through excitedly.

Kaia leaped backwards in surprise. "Eep! Uh, Blocken! I'm not playing anything." She lied as Morty hummed and moved a piece.

"You're that creep from the beach!" Pirika squealed, scooting back into the wall.

Blocken stared angrily at her but quickly shrugged it off. "Oh, you like chess huh?" Blocken looked down at the board. "Kaia, right there. Move that piece." He pointed down at her pawn. She could take Morty's other pawn.

Kaia supported herself on her hands and knees as she studied the board. She was a beginner at chess but Turbine had taught her how to play. She captured Morty's pawn and smiled happily.

"After this match, I need to talk to you Kaia." Blocken said to her as he sat down, strething his legs out.

"Okay." Kaia stared blankly at him, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

The match was quick, mostly because Kaia didn't know what she was doing. Morty quickly captured all of her pieces and declared checkmate. Kaia sighed and let Pirika play next as she and Blocken walked into the hallway to talk.

When the door was shut, Morty and Pirika started to talk.

"She's really nice." Pirika told him.

"But she's holding us captive." Morty said.

"She doesn't have any friends to play with." Pirika frowned.

"We need to escape now that we have the chance!" Morty whispered harshly.

Kaia nervously pulled at the hem of her dress as she sat in the hallway against the wall. Blocken sat down next to her and took a deep breath. What he was about to ask was so random, out of the way. It embarrassed him to think of asking her it but he wanted to know.

"Kaia, tell me about your life before you met Turbine. Tell me all that you can remember." He said suddenly. Kaia was surprised. She expected something more important.

"Okay... Well I can't exactly remember how old I was but I was really little when I lived on the streets of Baghdad, as Turbine called it." Kaia began her story.

**To be continued in Chapter 47!**

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**Why isn't anyone reviewing? Oh well, I know you'll review soon. 48 will be sweet! - Cokehead**


	47. Chapter 47

Baghdad was not the place to be for a young girl of about five. Especially a homeless red-headed girl who was accused of being a witch, a bringer of demons, over-all unholy. Kaia had to suffer in the hot streets, choked by dust and on the verge of starving. Lavaine had taught her how to beg for food and money at first but when they began to discriminate her, he taught her how to steal. This was when it started to get bad. If she was caught, she was often pelted with rocks and the children would chase her with clubs to beat her. It was horrible but Kaia was fast on her feet. Until the fateful day that her leg was broken.

The only play she really experienced was being chased by the children for stealing bread. She knew they enjoyed it too. At first, for the bloodthirst and then they began to think it fun, chasing a girl through the streets. Kaia upped the ante by climbing on top of building and jumping roof to roof. As she landed on the roof of a building, a boy threw a hard fruit at her and the impact of leaping on the roof and being hit by the fruit resulted in breaking the bone in her ankle. She limped along and finally fell down. The children, seeing that she was hurt felt that they should at least get her back on the ground. One sent for a doctor to look at it and when he did, he intentionally didn't properly fix her foot. Kaia couldn't run anymore, the bones weren't in place right. She would have to starve sometimes if she couldn't steal her food.

The staff she always carried around helped her walk as she tried to beg for food. It made her look so pitiful that an old woman eventually took her in. The hospitality only lasted about a week until Kaia got angered when the old lady tried to take her staff away for misbehaving.

"Blocken, the smell of burnt flesh... It was a horrible stench." Kaia wept as she rocked herself, her head in her hands. "The next thing I saw was a boiling puddle of flesh on the ground."

Blocken stared at her in horror as she explained to him what had happened to the old woman.

Kaia had to escape the city if someone found out. She was about twelve when they caught her hiding by the trash cans in the palace, waiting for scraps. They dragged her to the forum of the city and tied her up to that wretched pole surrounded by sticks and brush. They had tossed her staff in with the fire starters. Her only possession to be burned along with her. They threw fruit at her and called her names. Kaia cried hard as she told the sad memory to Blocken.

"I smelled it again and opened my eyes. Blocken! I did it again! I burned their faces off!" Kaia exclaimed through her sobs. "But then, he came for me." Kaia began to lighten up as she remembered the warm face and lovely black hair. His strong arms carried her when she couldn't anymore and his voice called out for her when she was lost. "Turbine saved me." She looked at him and frowned. "Where did you go?" She called out and then the door opened.

"Hey Kaia, we're done with the match." Pirika smiled. "I won!" She jumped up and down happily.

"Yeah, I wasn't paying much attention." Morty blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"So what do you guys want to do now? As long as we stay in the building, we won't get in trouble." Kaia stood up, using the wall as a support.

"We could play hide and seek!" Pirika suggested. "My brother would play that with me all the time."

"Okay. 1...2...3.. Not it!" Kaia shouted.

"Not it!" Pirika giggled.

"Darn it." Morty muttered.

"Come on, Pirika. We'll go hide. Morty, count to one-hundred and all of us have to stay in the building!" Kaia shouted as she and Pirika ran down the hall and disappeared down a stairway.

"One... Two... Three... Four... " Morty covered his eyes with his hands and peeked between his fingers. He screamed when he saw an eye peer at him through a bright yellow mask. "Geez! Why do you have to be so creepy!?" Morty exclaimed as he sprawled on the ground.

"I'm not as creepy as Kaia. You two better be careful, Kaia is dangerous." He told him as a grin spread across his face inside the mask. "Unlike Hao, she doesn't know what she's doing when she kills."

"Kaia? Kills?" Morty mumbled. He didn't know those two words could be put together.

"Yes, I'm as surprised as you are but I know about her. She's cute and friendly but if you get her mad, she'll melt you like ice cream." Blocken said to the scared little boy who had wet himself twice now today.

"You're her mentor, can't you control that somehow?" Morty asked him.

"No, well sort of. You just have to avoid making her mad."

"Yoh told me that Kaia was really nice and that it's a shame she's on Hao's side." Morty said sadly.

"True. Turbine didn't want her to be tainted by the evils of the world and that why they're getting married when Hao becomes Shaman King and creates a new world."

"You mean she's engaged!?" Morty scooted back against the wall. "Like Yoh and Anna!"

"I'm sure it's been a hundred seconds now. You better go find them." Blocked started to walk towards the dormitory. "Just don't anger her."

"Wait." Morty called after him. Blocken stopped. "If there was no Shaman Tournament right now where everyone is opponents, do you think we would all be friends?"

"Possibly." Blocken pondered on the thought for a moment. "But just because you're being treated like a guest, don't think that you're going to be an ally!" He slammed the door hard.

"All of Hao's gang must have some anger issues." Morty sighed before setting out to find the girls.

Blocken gazed out the window at nothing in particular. He had found out about Kaia's past and proved his theory that she was extremely powerful. He could harness this power as long as Kaia wasn't angry. But in case of an emergency, how would he get her angry? He'd hate to call her names and hurt her but if that was the only way... Something caught his eye. Blue hair in the forest. A blue piece of clothing. Could they have escaped? Oh, Kaia would be so mad. He grinned. No, it was coming towards the building. He smiled wider as he saw Horohoro approaching, stomping angrily towards the base. This, he had to see.

**To be continued in Chapter 48!**


	48. Chapter 48

Horohoro threw open the metal door that allowed entry into Hao's base. He sensed the burning aura that kidnapped his sister and Morty. It was in this building somewhere. He was ready to fight Hao here and now.

It was dark inside, sunlight barely streaming through holes and barred windows. Rubble and drywall lay everywhere, caked with dust and cobwebs. Horohoro walked cautiously into the middle of the main room and froze when he heard a snicker from upstairs.

"Pirika?!" He called out but was only answered by his echo. Horohoro jogged up the stairs and onto the second landing overlooking the main room. There were several rooms branching off the second level. He saw a glint of red against the dull gray environment. Surely it wasn't his sister but possibly someone who could help him find her! "Hey wait up!" He yelled as he followed it through the door.

A smirk spread across their face as they ran well ahead of Horohoro, keeping their breathing in check. Just a couple more flights of stairs...

"Hey! Dude! Stop!" Horohoro called after the red dress as it flowed in the distance. "Dudette!? Wait please!"

They stopped at the bottom of the landing and turned suddenly into the boiler room. Horohoro wondered where they were running to, he just wanted to ask if they had seen his sister. He stopped running and walked into the boiler room, carefully as the bridge creaked under him. Everything seemed to glow bright red with the heat of life and it was very hot. He stared across from him to see the red-haired girl he had seen several times before. Kaia!

She smiled with her hands to her face. She was so excited to have him here as the door slammed shut behind him. Horohoro turned to see the small figure wrapped in an ochre cloak.

"You creep!" He exclaimed as Blocken smiled maliciously. But behind his mask, he was hurt by the insult.

"You will pay for that." Blocken whispered.

"It was so nice of you to come and visit me, Horohoro." Kaia smiled sweetly as she hugged herself. She was overwhelmed with excitement. "I was having so much fun with your sister and that boy, now I'll have even more fun!" She exclaimed as she picked up her staff that laid at her feet.

"What did you do to them!?" Horohoro demanded.

"Oh, don't worry. They're perfectly fine. See for yourself." Kaia turned and pointed to the other end of the boiler room.

Blocken's oversoul glowed as different colored blocks formed into pillars around Pirika and Morty.

"This is so they won't get harmed. I promise you, I don't intend to harm them." Kaia gave him a friendly smile.

"You better not or I'll kill you! I don't care about the promise we made to Bill, if something happens to either of them-"

"Big bro! Be nice to Kaia!" Pirika pleaded from the prison cell of blocks. "She's a really nice person."

"Pirika is right, but I must battle you here and now." Kaia said as she ran her finger along her staff. "I want to try out my new strength." She raised the staff up into the air and pointed it at the hanging light that hung above their heads. "Lavaine, let's go!"

"Yes, hatchling." He replied as his face appeared on the end of the staff. His fiery wings bursted out from the sides of the staff, flapping as if he was flying through the sky. Instead, the staff stayed in Kaia's hands as she waited for the transformation to complete.

"So, you have a bird type oversoul too?" Horohoro asked as a giant blue bird ball appeared on his right arm. "Meet Kororo, my guardian ghost." He smirked.

"Hm. We have a few similarities, you and I." Kaia grinned at him as she stared angrily, observing his every move.

"I'd rather not have anything in common with you." Horohoro growled angrily.

There was no way he would pull that trick on her that he pulled on Blocken again. He was all alone with no help to back him up if he got into a serious situation, which Kaia was sure he would. She had Blocken to help her if she needed it but she highly doubted that. She didn't know what kind of damage she could do with this much furyoku but she would have to stray from harming him _too_ much. Kaia had to keep her cool and plan strategically even though she had no idea what she was doing.

"Here we come." Kaia announced as she dashed forward, raising her staff high. Lavaine's wings beat up and down as the currents moved under him. He opened his beak as they approached Horohoro and spat out a ball of fire.

He caught on quickly and waved the bird ball in front of him, casting an ice shield about him. The fire ball hit and melted part way through before it phased into steam. Kaia squinted inquistively.

"This will be fun. Fire and Ice, what a fight!" She exclaimed happily. "Be on your toes!" Suddenly she disappeared and Horohoro began to look up and down for the red head but everything was red in this room. She smiled as she appeared behind him and thrusted the gnarled end of the staff into his back, tossing him across the bridge.

"Big bro!" Pirika shouted to make sure he was okay.

"Don't worry sis." Horohoro smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Pirika was now half cheered up.

"I thought you were really good at finding an enemy's furyoku pulses." Kaia said smugly as she stood upright with a hand on her hip and holding the staff at her side. "Oh yeah, I didn't use any furyoku when I attacked. Oopsie." Kaia blushed. "I must be really stealthy."

"Or really stupid." Horohoro grunted. Kaia's face went from ecstatic to angry.

"I am NOT stupid." She pouted. "I wouldn't be talking. You had twenty-five percent in math!" She remembered the day at the bridge when Zang-Ching was lecturing about numbers.

"Oh yeah!? Well, I bet you've never even been in school to know what any of that means!" Horohoro grinned when he saw Kaia flash with embarrassment.

"It's not my fault!" Kaia fell to her knees. "It's not my fault that I was orphaned and had to survive on my own." She began to cry.

Horohoro stared blankly at her. She seemed so immature. He was expecting a good fight but he was really disappointed. He guessed that he had hit a hard spot.

"Oh, great! You got her started." Blocken sighed but then it occurred to him what might happen. "Keep going!" He cheered him on.

Horohoro looked at Blocken in confusion. He wanted him to make her feel bad, that would be harsh. Plus, he didn't know anything about Kaia. He had just guessed that she had never been to a school.

Kaia wiped her eyes. "You big jerk..." She mumbled and stood up, gathering her staff. "You will pay!" She shouted, running at Horohoro with a burning staff of fiery fury. Lavaine shrieked as a fire ball formed in his beak and then launching it at Horohoro.

Horohoro defended himself with another ice wall that melted upon impact. "Is that all you've got?" He asked her. Kaia grimaced. Even though she had a higher furyoku level than most, she didn't have as many different attack techniques.

"You want more? Alright!" Kaia shouted as the staff transformed into a crossbow. Lavaine's wings flapped as he appeared in the wooden arrow. His beak was sharper than the arrow's tip and his plumage was so vibrant: red, orange and purple. She aimed the crossbow at Horohoro's head and pulled the trigger.

As the arrow came flying at him, he put up yet another ice wall. The arrow stuck into the wall but didn't melt or disappear like the fireballs did, the ice cracked and melted as it pushed through. Horohoro stared in amazement as the arrow with a pheonix head pressed on through the ice. The sharp beak came threw the ice and was opening and closing, trying to grasp for its prey. Horohoro ducked as the ice cracked and broke away into a giant hole and the arrow came flying through, changing its flight path so it came down at him.

"It's a homing device!?" Horohoro yelped as the arrow stuck in his butt. Lavaine held on, eyes darting about.

"Sure enough. When I put Lavaine into the arrow, he will chase after the prey until he captures it." Kaia reloaded the crossbow.

Horohoro tried to pull the arrow from his butt but Lavaine held on tight. "You stupid bird..." He muttered as he hit his face against the floor and rump in the air.

"Have another one." Kaia smiled as she aimed at his butt with a spiritless arrow and pulled the trigger.

Blocken watched from the locked door as they went back and forth, humiliating one another in childish ways during battle. Why couldn't Kaia be serious? Maybe she's enjoying it because she hadn't fought in awhile? Oh but he loved how she was beating him down! It was pay back time for Blocken. He was sure Kaia would make Horohoro pay.

Horohoro now laid facedown on the bridge with several arrows in his butt and a burning one. Kaia snickered behind him as she reloaded another arrow. Horohoro saw his sister's worried face through the block bars and felt embarrassed. In a quick pull, he jerked all of the arrows out and threw them to the ground, turning to Kaia.

"Let's get serious now! No more playing around." He shouted.

"Oh, you don't want to play anymore?" Kaia asked, stopping to look at him. "Fine, I'll be serious now." Her face changed from delightful to cold and hard like a statue. "No mercy." Her eyes glared at him, flashing red with the reflection of the burning hot boilers and vats in the room.

**To be continued in Chapter 49!**


	49. Chapter 49

Horohoro and Blocken both grinned as Kaia's oversoul became a gigantic entity above her. The flames were so hot as it rose and took form above her into a large pheonix. Its eye glowed yellow, its beak glinted in the light and its claws were sharp as knives. It screeched as it hovered there above Kaia, flapping its wings to hang in the air. Kaia pointed at Horohoro.

"Him." She whispered. "Get him, Lavaine."

"Yes, hatchling!" The pheonix cried as it reared up its head and aimed it toward Horohoro, diving for him.

"Let's go, Kororo!" Horohoro shouted as he pointed the bird ball up at the fiery bird.

Out came a bunch of ice from Kororo's mouth and shot at Lavaine. They all melted as they hit the fiery bird and he came tunneling through. He burned Horohoro's shirt as he head-butted him and threw him across the bridge.

Kaia smirked with satisfaction. "Don't you know that fire melts ice?" She asked him as she ran a hand through her red hair. "Or did you fail in science class too?" She laughed at him.

Horohoro growled. This was a great match-up, fire versus ice. He couldn't stay on the defensive forever, he'll run out of furyoku soon. She'll melt all of his attacks. He had to win to save his sister and Morty but what to do? He couldn't think straight, it was too hot.

"You may surrender if you like, but if you do you must apologize to Blocken and admit to Yoh that you're weak." Kaia hummed as she toyed with the crossbow.

"Kaia... You don't have to do that for me." Blocken said from across the bridge. Kaia just gazed at him, she did have to do that for Blocken.

"Never!" Horohoro objected and ran at her, throwing a punch.

Kaia fell down, holding her face. She did not see the punch coming. "You dare hit a girl!?" She shouted at him and started to cry.

"I don't care if you're a girl." Horohoro said before he picked her up by the collar of her dress.

"I don't care if you're Pirika's brother." Kaia smiled and grabbed Horohoro by the collar also. Horohoro sensed an attack coming, he looked around for the fiery bird. "OUCH!!" He screamed when Kaia kicked him between the legs.

She dragged him by the collar as she climbed up on the railing. "I am done with you." She said coldly as she struggled to hold him out from the bridge. He was heavy but she managed to balance herself on the rail.

"Kaia! What are you doing!?" Blocken shouted, stepping forward.

"Please don't hurt my brother!" Pirika pleaded.

"Kaia, just put him back down on the bridge." Morty commanded her.

"All that furyoku and she doesn't know how to use it." Horohoro grinned. Kaia stared at him angrily. "You have very few attacks but my ice is nothing against your fire. I lost the moment I began to fight you."

"You're right. Neither of us can do much." Kaia looked away from his face. "Blocken, there are intruders in the building."

Blocken stood firmly. He had already sensed it too. "Hao will take care of them."

"Good." Kaia turned back to Horohoro. "I wanted to fight you really bad but yet, I am not strong enough. Shut up, Blocken." She snapped at him, knowing what he was about to say. "A truce? I still wish to fight you, but when we both get stronger. Right now, this fight is almost pointless."

Horohoro grinned at her as he looked up into her face. "I'll never admit defeat."

"Oh, brother," Pirika sighed.

"Have it your way." Kaia released her grip on Horohoro's collar and let him fall.

Suddenly ice began to creep over the boiling vats and froze everything in its way. Horohoro slid down the giant glacier safely to the floor. "Nice save Kororo." He said to a face in the ice.

"Guru!" It cooed at him. The ice began to melt upon the spirit's will.

"You're awfully persistent." Kaia frowned from the bridge as she squatted on the railing. "Why won't you just stop?"

"Because I have to save my sister!" Horohoro shouted up at her.

"He forgot about me." Morty sighed as he watched them bicker.

The halls echoed with the noise of boots scuddling across the floor. A man with spiked blonde hair rolled and threw himself up against the wall. So dramatic when no enemy was around.

"Larch, everything alright?" He asked into the communicator that attached to his heavy duty clothes.

"All good over here." A voice came through on the communicator. "It seems they're right outside. I don't have any information on the new accomplice. Denbat, we've waited all this time! Now's our chance."

The dramatic blonde man, Denbat, sighed as he rested against the wall. "Yeah." He breathed. "The time has finally come. We're going to kill Hao." A small smile appeared on his face.

Kaia's crossbow changed back into a wooden staff as she whacked the tip against the bridge floor. Her hair covered her face as she concentrated on her energy. Everyone watched as fire bursted from the staff, the boilers, stoves and the vats. She was having some sort of combustion.

"Lavaine, I offer myself to you." Kaia whispered as her hair rose in a fury above her head. "Spirit Unity!" Kaia declared as the fire gathered around her. She was self-combusting!

Blocken watched in amazement as Kaia became a creature of the fire. She was getting angrier by the moment. Hopefully she wouldn't kill them all in the heat of battle.

Kaia's eyes flashed yellow as she dropped the staff and observed herself. Her nails grew sharp and pointed like claws, her belly glowed orange and she was totally consumed in fire.

"You puny humans!" She shouted with a deep, possessed voice. "You're all dead now!" She laughed maniacally.

Blocken stared in horror at this girl. She wasn't Kaia anymore. The kind and caring person he had once knew was now possessed by something evil, much like Hao. He stared at her and saw the outline of a pheonix spirit around her. Lavaine had become one with Kaia. Perhaps this was how she used her hidden power? Blocken was anxious to see but he feared that he could get killed.

"Wow." Horohoro clapped his hands with a sarcastic air about him. "Amazing, you allowed your spirit ally to use your body."

"I am much more powerful than before, boy." Kaia/Lavaine hissed at him with squinted eyes.

"Then show me how powerful you are!" Horohoro challenged them.

Kaia/Lavaine leaped up into the air, almost hitting the ceiling. She stopped and dived backwards with her eyes closed in the air as fiery wings sprouted from her back. She took a deep breath as she regained focus and dived down at the grinning Horohoro.

"You think we should go through with this?" Larch's voice came through on the communicator. "The commander doesn't know about this operation and I'm not sure if we can succeed." He scratched his stubble and gazed down at the ground. "Hao is able to read minds... Who knows? Mayhe he already knows our plans?"

"Stop that nonsense! It's too late to back out now." Denbat shouted at him through the communicator. "Remember what this guy did to us! There's no doubt he's strong, but if we run away now, we forfeit our lives. He's certainly a brilliant shaman but don't forget he's still human! And plus, we can't trust our commander anymore. He wasn't a real leader. Just a dictator. Also, I think he's changing his ways now." Denbat explained through the communicator.

A beautiful white car was driving alongside a forest on a dirt path. Strapped on the trunk was the Iron Maiden, bobbing this way and that along with the car. Behind a nearby tree stood a tall, forest green cloak, a long nose protruding from it. Anahol smiled as the car got nearer.

"But this fight, this is our revenge!" Denbat continued.

"Don't worry anymore." Larch interrupted him.

"Distance, three-hundred thirty-three meters." A voice came in on the communicator.

"Porf has already targetted Hao's head." Larch said to Denbat with a smile.

The bald man shook in the grass, sweating nervously as he focused the long sniper rifle. The crosshair was right on Hao's head as he sat alone in a room of the base. A clear shot, all Porf had to do was pull the trigger and justice would be served. But he couldn't.

"Incredible! He's crying! Shit, Porf. Calm yourself." He whispered to himself. "Don't get distracted by these things." He stared into the scope again. "But that's..." Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched through the scope.

Porf's scream echoed through the forest, catching everyone's attention around the base, including the possessed Kaia.

"What was that?" Kaia peered around her as she stood on top of Horohoro, her fire wings relaxing at her sides.

"It was some sort of scream." Blocken replied.

"One of the X-Laws." A Spanish accent added as the door opened. Blocken jumped out of the way as Peyote stepped through. "Hao foiled their assassination plot."

"Oh." Kaia stared back down at Horohoro. "See? You can't defeat us."

"Don't let me interrupt the fight." Peyote said as he gazed down at her from the rails. He turned to Blocken. "What is going on?" He whispered.

"Lavaine is using Kaia's body." He replied.

"You let this happen?" Peyote growled.

"It was Kaia's choice. She wanted to fight that boy." Blocken pointed down at them.

Peyote pulled out his oracle bell and calculated both Kaia and Horohoro's furyoku. He grinned. "Kaia can defeat him now is she wanted to. He's down to one-thousand five-hundred while she's still around eight-thousand."

"But she's toying with him. It's as if she doesn't want to fight afterall." Blocked looked through the railing and watched as the fiery feathers flew and ice melted into watery puddles while the two threw punches at each other.

**To be continued in Chapter 50!**


	50. Chapter 50

"Porf?" Denbat's voice went through the communicator. "Porf, if you can hear me say something."

"It can't be true." Larch fell to the ground with distress.

"Answer me! Porf, what's wrong!?" Denbat shouted into the communicator. "Porf!?"

The bald man stared up into the face of the Spirit of Fire, so cold and emotionless, contradictory to its name. The lower part of his body was burning up as the finger went through his stomach. Slowly and painfully, his body burned. It was torture like the night Blocken lost his body. It was all a game. Simple entertainment for Hao. That's all it ever was. Peyote recognized this and hoped Kaia had seen the same.

He watched her as she fought Horohoro without the will to fight. She hardly used her oversoul, Lavaine possessing her made it to where she didn't have to rely on that. But she fought him with physical power. He thought she had wanted to try out her new level of furyoku, to make Master Hao happy. That is why he felt that she knew the truth too. Maybe there was hope in his dream after all?

Porf gasped and was able to use his voice to warn the others. The fire had burned up to his elbows and he knew he was dying. "Denbat, Larch. Run away from here." He uttered into the communicator before that burned up too.

"This guy is a monster!" Larch shouted as he ran quickly down the stairs, skipping steps as he ran in fear.

Hao smiled as he manifested at the foot of the stairs before Larch.

Denbat heard a sizzle and static from the communicator before it went dead. He screamed at the top of his lungs in frustration. "How long will you continue killing my friends!?" He called out to the darkness.

"In that case, why do you fight?" Hao asked him as he appeared behind him with a blaze, his feet lightly landing on the floor. "If you don't want to lose your friends, you shouldn't be fighting in the first place!"

"I was a member of the British Special Forces. I am John Denbat of the S.A.S." He sweated nervously in fear, practically shaking in his boots. He could feel the heat on his neck, the very presence of a god looking over his shoulder. "Hao... Where did you come from?"

Hao ignored his question. "You aren't the only one. Larch Dirak, Porf Grifith. They were ex-members of the delta force. Both participated in operation Restore Hope in 1993. Chris Venstar drove a hummer in the Gulf War, Meene Montgomery was in the Canadiam Emergency Response Team, Kevin Mendel fought off terrorists as a sniper in the Cobra Unit. John, do you understand what I am trying to say?"

Hao waited for an answer but knew he was too scared to even look at him. Hao continued. "You didn't end up in the X-Laws by chance. If our paths are to cross, it will only be on the battlefield. A place where the deaths of your friends don't do anything except create sadness. A true battlefield!" His body was half there, most of it consumed by flames. Calm flames. His face was dark and angry, angry at the X-Laws for trying to assassinate him.

Denbat sat with his back to Hao, trying to take deep breaths and calm down. He couldn't calm down. This monster shaman was behind him and could kill him in the blink of an eye.

"I will recreate the world and turn it around. Wars will cease to exist. But then a thought crossed my mind," Hao came closer and hovered over Denbat's shoulder and breathed into his ear. "I came to the conclusion that... humans love to fight!" Hao pulled back away and let the fact sink into him. "These confrontations, they just create harmful effects." Hao grinned.

"Is that right?" Denbat asked him. "In that case, you shoul die too, Hao!"

Hao frowned and Denbat chuckled as he readied himself to tell him his thoughts.

"I knew it from the beginning, I already predicted I would end up in this situation. I know that I don't stand a chance against you. Whether I use angels or even if I use a one-thousand ton nuclear bomb. Nukes or anything like that have no affect against you. You and your Spirit of Fire are invincible. That's the reason," Denbat smiled slightly, "Why we came here in order to kill you directly! We thoroughly studied your techniques and ability to quickly improvise. You can read minds, right? Then, I think you already understand. You can't dodge our attack." Denbat was overwhelmed with a mix of confidence and fear. Fear of the attack that he was going to launch.

The corner of Hao's mouth rose into a smile. "I see. If you are here, my Spirit of Fire will eventually be exposed. Nobody can stop an attack at the speed of three-hundred thousand kilometers per second to the speed of light. Nothing exists that can resist that immense power. It's pointless to waste an experiment. An experimental military satellite under the control of the Secret Defense."

A giant angel floated in space, almost out of the Earth's orbit. In it's hands he held a satellite known as the SDI X-Laser.

_For you, Raphael, the God of Heat. For those who have strayed, here is the light!_ Denbat swallowed hard as the laser hummed in space, preparing to attack.

A large red beam split the sky apart as it came right down into Hao's base at Denbat. Hao smiled at the last minute before impact.

"What the!?" Peyote let out as the ground shook.

"Kaia, we must go!" Blocken shouted down to her. It felt like the whole base was going to fall apart. His oversoul disappeared and the prisoners were set free from the prison cell.

Kaia fell forward into Horohoro as Lavaine left her body. He caught her and laid her down on the ground. Her wings and claws disappeared and when she opened her eyes again seconds later they had returned to their normal brown color. She sat up in surprise to look into the dark blue eyes of Peyote.

"My staff. Where's my staff?" She looked around axiously, ignoring him.

"Here, Kaia." Blocken said from the bridge, tossing the wooden staff to her. She caught it and and looked at it happily. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"Horohoro, someday, I wish to fight you again." Kaia said to him with a smirk. "But right now, you need to take your sister and friend out of here and go back home."

Peyote took her by the arm and ran her up the stairs to the bridge.

"Be careful Kaia." He called up to her. She nodded at him before she disappeared through the door with Blocken and Peyote.

"One down." Anahol smiled as he snapped his whip on the top of his sphinx's head. He gazed down at the white car with the Iron Maiden strapped to the trunk as he stood high on top of the sphinx that stood in the way on the bridge. "And now it's your turn, Holy Girl!" Anahol hit his whip against his hand, intimidating the people in the car.

"It's Anatel of Team Niles!" Iron Maiden Jeanne exclaimed as she gazed through the windshield.

"Wrong." Anahol crossed his arms in front of his chest and tapped the tip of his shoe against the stone head. "That's my brother. As you can see, my brother's nose is three centimeters longer."

"His brother?" Tears began to form in Jeanne's eyes.

"Yes, he was my family and he was worthy of being king of our country! He had a beautiful nose! I'm Anahol, that's right... the younger brother of who you killed!" He shouted as the sphinx pounced at the car.

Suddenly a beautiful angel whisked the car away, flying at a ninety-degree angle towards the sky. It held the car carefully to its chest as it flew off to safety.

"You can't escape!" Anahol shouted up at them. "I will surely avenge my brother! My brother and his fantastic nose!"

The sphinx's eyes glowed as bright yellow laser beams shot out of the pupils and at the angel carrying the car. The angel dodged in between the two lasers, avoiding them. The sphinx leaped up from the bridge and spread its wings, flying after the angel who stopped and turned to look.

"I already told you, you can't escape, X-Laws!" Anahol shouted angrily as he gained speed on them.

The stone face of the sphinx appeared in the view of the windshield, eyes wide and wild as the pupils glowed again.

"Burst!" Anahol commanded.

In seconds, the car blew up from the heart and the Iron Maiden was detached from the car as it flew through the air.

"Why am I... still alive?" Denbat asked aloud as he sat on his knees in the center of what looked like a bombing. The whole ceiling was ripped through and laid in pieces below him as he was elevated by a single circle of floor, still intact. Like the Devil's tower in Wyoming, USA, he stood above the rubble on top of the elevation in confusion.

The light shredded through but it didn't cheer anyone up. Denbat was surrounded by death and destruction.

"I was supposed to be the target. Nothing should have been able to stop the laser. Even if a mirror tried to reflect the laser, it wouldn't have been able to withstand the pressure. Wait! What if Hao's control over the five elements let him turn the Spirit of Fire into a metallic element, or even worse, what if he obtained a new, stronger power?" Denbat started to have conversations with himself. Being on the verge of death must have caused him to go crazy.

"Absolutely!" Hao's voice echoed in his head. Denbat shook with fear. He was using telepathy! "John, it was an excellent idea to send an angel into space. Normally, I would need to gather power to block that amount of power. Today, I didn't even feed the Spirit of Fire." Denbat sweated terribly as he was scared out of his mind. "I'm in a bad mood. Your friends saw something forbidden!"

In the blink of an eye, Hao appeared before Denbat with large metal claws and his usual fiery aura. Denbat didn't even have time to think as Hao instantly burned his body as he slashed through him with the claws.

"Your soul will be consumed with you. In every way! You wouldn't be able to go to Heaven or Hell." He grinned as he watched the ashes fall.

"Master Hao! What was-" Blocken stopped when he almost fell off the edge of the second landing that had stood there once before.

"Ah, just in time. I have a mission for all of you." Hao smiled up at them, his claws quickly disappearing. "I need you all to go to the beach to the West. Hanagumi needs to be gathered, they turned off their oracle bells. Tsuki-gumi will be arriving there shortly. There is a fleet of ships coming and I need you guys to take care of it."

"Yes, Master Hao." Blocken replied.

Peyote stared down at Hao angrily. He knew. Of course, Peyote should have seen this coming.

"Peyote, we'll meet you at the beach. We're going to inform Hanagumi." Blocken said as he sat on a large bird made of blocks. Kaia got on behind him and held on to his shoulders.

"Okay." He said, disappointed that Kaia chose to go with Blocken. He quickly left as the bird flew up into the air and disappeared over the trees. He did not want to be around Hao, plus, he had to call someone.

**To be continued in Chapter 51!**

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**How's that for a Hao chapter, huh? Yeah, I'm excited about the upcoming chapters. -Cokehead**


	51. Chapter 51

Kaia hung on tight as they flew vertically into the air. It was hard to grip onto Blocken's plastic body, her fingers kept slipping around the square frame. Finally, as she felt herself begin to slip off the back of the bird, she wrapped her arms around his waist and dug her ankles into the sides of the bird. Blocken glanced back at her and saw her struggle.

The bird started to fly horizontally over the clouds. Kaia glanced over the side to see the bird's shadow against the fluffy white clouds. She smiled and tried to reach out and touch it but she was just inches away.

"Kaia, look." Blocken told her. She peered around him and saw something jutting out of the clouds. A big blue mountain draped in white. She was awestruck as she stared at it.

"Wow, Blocken! It's amazing!" She exclaimed as they flew near it. A feeling bubbled inside her, she felt that she had to let it out. "Woo-hoo!" She shouted throwing her hands into the air, her voice echoing in the mountains.

Blocken laughed as he heard her excited heartbeat. It was a new experience for her to fly through the clouds without being cooped up in an airplane or a helicopter.

"There they are." He said finally, not wanting to ruin her fun. He could sense the evil witches miles away. "Hold on tight, Kaia."

She smiled held on around his waist again as the bird began to descend through the clouds. They were cool and felt like smog as the clouds touched Kaia's face. She didn't quite like the cold air but it was fun to ride through the clouds.

"That was fun!" Kaia exclaimed happily, the adrenaline still pumping through her body. She looked down as she saw little ants running around. She smiled as she thought of Hanagumi as ants. She'd squash them in a heartbeat.

"What should we do, Kana?" Matilda asked their leader as they were surrounded by several of Yoh's accomplices.

"Do you really need me to tell you?" Kana grinned to shake off her worry.

"Forget it-" Blocken interrupted as the bird flew over their heads. "From now on, you have a new task to do, Hanagumi. You guys better go straight to the West coast of this island and join the others now."

Kaia smiled from behind him. She felt superior over them.

"Blocken!?" Matilda was surprised.

"New task?" Marion asked blankly.

"Not really, just a little bit of a rubbish disposal. It is because Lord Hao is tied up right now, and that you three have turned off your oracle bells for the sudden attack so we have come here to pick you up." He explained to them.

"No, Blocken. They're mean." Kaia whispered to him.

"Don't worry, Kaia. They're not ready to go anyways. The idiots want to fight them." He referred to Hanagumi fighting The Ren, who were recently revived by the Gandara.

Kaia observed them before Blocken reared the bird up and around towards the beach, flying over the treetops. The girls of Hanagumi never talked to anyone else but themselves and were always mean to her. She was glad she had more friends. Blocken, Bill, Turbine, and Anahol, she considered them her friends. Of course, she was engaged to Turbine. Would you count that more than a friendship? Kaia couldn't wait to be wed, she felt that the Shaman Tournament would end soon. There were only a couple teams left. She hoped all they had to do was get rid of this fleet of ships and wait out the last couple rounds. Then Turbine would take her back to his homeland and marry her.

He was there to greet her when they landed on the beach. Turbine walked up to the giant bird and helped her off its back as Blocken began to take it apart with his oversoul. She hugged him, happy to see him alive and well.

"Did you complete your mission?" She asked him with a warm smile as they joined the others on the beach, walking hand in hand.

"No, Yoh revived and defeated us. He's grown stronger from his training in Hell." Turbine looked down at her with his dreamy stare. "What about you?"

"Same, we had to leave the base because there was some sort of an earthquake." She told him. "My fight wasn't very impressive." She looked away from his gaze.

"Oh, I'm sure it was impressive. The world would be dull without you, Kaia." He said to her sweetly. If he wasn't wearing his veil, she was sure he'd be smiling one of those dreamy smiles that she loved.

She returned the smile and looked at the sand to hide her blushing face. He pulled her close against his body and lifted her chin.

"Soon, my love." He breathed through the veil. "Soon, we will be married."

Kaia blushed a bright pink and smiled affectionately. She couldn't wait to be Mrs. Tabarsi and return to the desert country she had both loved and resented so much.

Peyote eavesdropped on their conversation as he pretended to be gazing somewhere else. Soon, for sure. Soon Kaia would be his and all this, the Shaman Tournament, Turbine, it would all be a dream to her. He would be her only dream come true. He'll take her off of this island on the first ship home and head straight to Mexico. He would teach her Spanish, buy a nice home in a quiet town, start a family, he stood as he daydreamed of having Kaia as his wife.

Hanagumi soon joined them, sitting on a beach towel that had been left by tourists. Everyone sat around for awhile, trying to look out for the sleet of ships. Blocken sat on Bill's shoulder as Bill, Turbine and Kaia gathered around Zang-Ching who sat on the sand with the binoculars. Turbine and Kaia gazed out at sea, imagining their married life together. He had his arm wrapped around her waist as she laid her head against his chest. Peyote stared at them with jealousy. He plotted how he would propose to her when they were left all alone. Should he sing a song for her? Casually ask her to marry him or just come out straight? He debated how to act on each situation in his mind.

A ship soon appeared on the horizon and Zang-Ching gazed through the binoculars at it.

"I see. So that is the thing that needs to be disposed of?" He asked disappointedly, expecting a larger fleet, not just one warship. "It belongs to humans, right?"

"Well, we can not let it disrupt the Shaman Fight, can we?" Blocken inquired as he squinted at the sea maliciously.

"But is this really okay for us to do so?" Zang-Ching continued to look through the binoculars. "It would make us the enemy of the whole world."

"It does not matter." Turbine jumped in. "When Hao becomes Shaman King he will destroy all human beings. I suppose you have not forgotten about that. Human beings are always repeating their stupid behaviors again and again." He remembered what the humans had tried to do to Kaia. She smiled up at him, glad that he was fighting for her.

"I am not up for it." Bill butted in. His armor rose up around his neck like a knight and only his eyes were visible under his helmet. "We should be fighting against other shamans, not regular human beings. We are slipping away from what we're supposed to be doing."

Kana grunted as she sat crosslegged on the beach towel. "You would never understand Bill." She said to him.

"All the humiliation our witches were put through." Marion's hair covered her eyes.

"The wars." Matilda added. "Lord Hao, he's fighting for the creation of a new world." She gazed down sadly.

"That is not something we are sure about." Peyote stopped daydreaming and woke up to reality. "Yes, we have failed every single mission assigned but it is also partly his fault. I wonder if he is really fighting for such a noble cause."

"What? What are you talking about Peyote?" Zang-Ching asked him as he sat on the sand.

"Watch your mouth!" Blocken shouted from Bill's shoulder, standing up as he did, feeling taller.

"Still, sometimes I find Lord Hao incomprehensible." Peyote added to his case.

"Right." Turbine said as he let go of Kaia and stepped forward, sliding through her hands. "I had thought about that too." He pulled his turbin and veil off.

"I remember it well. It was on the night that I was defeated and sent to the Patch Clinic." Peyote reached for his sombrero.

Kaia watched as the two men stood opposite of each other along the shore. Turbine's messy black hair had grown out around his shoulders. She wanted so much to brush it as the wind blew through it. He stared at Peyote angrily, his fists clenched. Peyote only smiled with his eyes closed, he was in a cocky mood now that he had confronted Turbine. His red lock of hair had grown long too, almost to his waist. He hadn't shaved in awhile and there was red stubble along his chin and upper lip. The sea splashed foam into their faces to try to cool them off, but they were so concentrated on each other that nothing could sway them.

"But this and that are two separate matters." Turbine said, remembering what had happened that night. "It depends what you say next, Peyote."

"Stop it, Turbine." Peyote said smugly. Kaia worried that they were going to fight again. "I was just trying to give you a little thought on what was happening. At least, I did not mean to start an argument with you here."

"It's not about Hao at all, is it Peyote?" Turbine asked. Peyote replied with a firm smile. He was so close to having her.

"Hey, hey. Can you two stop that? You're scaring me." Zang-Ching pleaded.

_Kill them all, and you shall have her._

The words echoed in Peyote's mind as the water split and the Grande Phantasma rose up, slicing Zang-Ching in two with its blade.

**To be continued in Chapter 52!**


	52. Chapter 52

Kaia leaped back in fear of being splattered with blood. Not that she was dressed in red already. Zang-Ching's bottom section below his chest fell backwards in the sand as his top half flew at Bill's feet. Poor Zang-Ching. Bill stared down at the corpse angrily as it bled on his boots. Peyote had killed his teammate, Han Zang-Ching.

"I do not want to argue with you." Peyote's eyes lied as they told of the intention to kill.

Turbine growled angrily as he crossed his arms in front of him. Kaia stared in awe as Jin appeared above Turbine, their auras angry and terrifying. "Explain yourself Peyote!" Turbine shouted as he leaped at him.

"Hey, take it easy." He said encouragingly as if no one had been sliced in two. "Was it not said that a shaman gets stronger if they die?"

"What?" Bill stopped in his attack. While he was distracted, the Grande Phantasma thrusted the tip of its blade into Bill's chest, piercing his armor and his heart.

"Just kidding." Peyote flashed a romantic smile at Kaia. Two down, five to go and he would have her. "I'm coming my darling!" He held his hand out towards her as she sat on the beach, her mind blank with shock.

"You...!!" Turbine was cut off as a gun was fired. Everything seemed still as the blood spurted out from the right side of his face and he slowly dropped to the ground, facedown in the sand.

"TURBINE!!" Kaia screamed at the top of her lungs as she jumped up and ran to him. Her dream had come true, Turbine laid facedown in the sand. She hoped he wasn't dead but her mind told her otherwise.

"If power is what rules this world, of course the ending would be like this. You have done well, Peyote." A man said as the gun in his hand smoked from the barrel. He had suave blonde hair, wore a fancy business suit and a pair of glasses that avoided telling the eyes' secrets.

Kaia wept uncontrollaby as she shook Turbine to wake him up. His eyes were open but why wasn't he moving? Why wasn't he breathing? It was just like Freedom, lying dead in the shoebox. Kaia wiped her face, smearing Turbine's blood across her cheeks unknowingly. "Oh, please, Turbine. For the love of God, please wake up." She said a phrase that she had often heard spoken. She guessed it motivated people.

Peyote swung his hand to the side, Grande Phantasma received the command and slashed Bill's neck, his head flying across the beach. Blocken hurriedly flew up in the air on his Block Bird but the Grande Phantasma was quick as it thrusted its sword up in the air, piercing both the bird's and Blocken's torsoes. They were skewered onto the blade.

Blocken spat out a bucket's worth of blood. "How dare you betray Master Hao! Peyote, you've lost your mind!!" He shouted angrily as he felt himself slip away.

"Just shut up and die, you worm." Peyote told him before he walked away towards Kaia.

"Turbine..." Kaia whispered as her voice got hoarse. Her tears had made stained her face, now pink with watery blood. "Please, Turbine. Wake up." She ran her hand through his hair.

"He's dead, Kaia." Peyote said as he walked up to her. "He's not ever going to wake up to the beautiful sound of your voice again."

"How could you..." Kaia stared up at him, another wave of tears overwhelming her.

He rushed down on his knees and hugged her tight. "Shush, don't cry Kaia. It's all just a bad dream." He brushed through her hair and down her back.

"You're crazy." Kaia wept as she tried with all her might to push him away but he held her close to his chest.

"Crazy for you, Kaia. I did this, I killed them all for you." He let go of her and pointed to the corpses that had accumulated on the beach. "Now it's just you and me."

Kaia shook her head as she cried. "There was never you and me." She looked up at him, hurt. "I was engaged to Turbine and your advancements broke our friendship. We could have been friends, Peyote but you... you..." Kaia cried into her hands.

"I wouldn't have been able to stand just being friends with you, Kaia." He bent forward and caressed her cheek. "You're irresistable." He leaned in more to kiss her but she pulled away.

"You're a monster." She breathed as she crawled away.

"Life is a monster, it was unfair to have kept us apart. Kaia, we were meant to be together." He called after her. "Kaia, please marry me! I love you."

She stopped in the sand and turned to him. "You killed my fiance and then you propse to me?" Her eyes flashed yellow and her nails began to lengthen. "What nerve!"

"Kaia..." Peyote stared at her lovingly. "It will be magnificent. You would like Mexico. We have a rich culture, a romantic language and they would really love you there."

"They won't love me like Turbine loved me." Her eyes turned back to brown and her hands relaxed. He loved her so much, to think now that he was dead... "I hate you!!" She shouted as the flames consumed her again, but she was not harmed.

"How can you say such a thing?" Peyote got up onto his feet. "After all that I have done for you?"

"You killed all of them! How can I not say that I hate you!?" She shouted at him. "I warned you, Peyote. If you ever hurt my friends..." A tear ran down her cheek as she thought of what she had to do. "I would have to kill you. I don't even want you around me anymore, you sick bd." She covered her mouth as it came out. She had never cursed before and now she was tainted. Thanks, Lavaine!

"Kaia," He fell to his knees at her feet. The fire calmed down and sizzled as both their tears fell. "Do you really hate me?" He put his hands on her hips as if to beg for her love.

"I cannot love a killer." Kaia covered her face with her hands.

"The world is not worth living in without you, Kaia." Peyote sighed as he hugged her one last time. He stood up and looked at her sadly. "Maybe in another life, you shall be my wife?"

"Maybe." Kaia looked at the sea. "I cannot kill you."

"Then you do have feelings for me?" He suggested.

"At one time, I did." Kaia choked. "You were my friend, Peyote. But please, go home. Escape this terror of the Shaman Tournament. Let me die with him." Kaia threw herself back down beside Turbine.

"I see." Peyote closed his eyes to stop the tear flow. "Everything has been said and done now. There is no turning back." He mumbled to himself as he walked back up the beach where Hanagumi sat, injured by the blonde man's chaingun that he had fired. "Kaia doesn't love me, but I still love her. Mansumi, please don't harm her." He told the man, pointing to Kaia.

Kaia looked up at the heavens as the tears flowed and she bit her bottom lip. She never thought that she would have come to disowning a friend like that, but he broke the rules. She had no choice. She could've killed him but it would be so hard on her.

"Farewell, everyone." Peyote said as he strummed a hard, sad note on his guitar. "Screw the Shaman Fight. Screw love. Nothing matters to me anymore."

Grande Phantasma punched hard in Peyote's direction from above. Kaia turned around quickly to the the Grande Phantasma grinding its fist into the sand, slowly dying itself.

"Peyote?" She called out to him. "Peyote, are you okay?" She got up and slowly walked over to the Grande Phantasma.

The eerie sound of it scared her. Like a piece of heavy machinery suspended in the air, creaking as it swayed back and forth. She stepped in the bloody sand and bent over to look at the skeletal hand. A boot stuck out from under it like the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz. It was Peyote's boot!

"Oh, God! Peyote!" She dug at the sand and tried to lift the hand up but it was of no use. The Grande Phantasma was too big and heavy for her. She gave up and cried her eyes out, stopping every now and then only to start up again after a few minutes.

Everyone was dead but her and that man, Mansumi. She hated him too, he killed Turbine. Hao knew this would happen so he sent them all out here to get killed. Mansumi smiled at her before sitting on a rock and calling a number on his cell phone.

"Hello, it's Tamurazaki... Yes, all the enemies on the beach have been annihilated." He said on the phone.

So Kaia wasn't an enemy? She felt like the victim of this crude event. The whole thing. The whole Shaman Tournament, she now thought it was all a sham. Hao knew so much, he made them look like absolute idiots compared to his knowledge. This was setup. Life is a setup. There are no coincidences, nothing happens by chance. Eveything that happens was meant to happen. Life loved to mess with Kaia. Her whole childhood, she was treated horribly and then she is saved by the love of her life only for him to be killed in some pointless fight. Life was unfair.

"Kaia, Peyote seemed to like you a lot and you could be of some help to me. Or you can stay here until someone comes to find you." Mansumi offered as he tucked his cell away in his suit pocket.

"Thank you, Mr. Mansumi but I'll stay here." She wiped her face.

"Suit yourself." He said before he walked off into the forest.

Kaia sat in the bloody sand amongst the dead bodies, overwhelmed with sadness. She started out this way as a young child, she was going to end this way as a young woman.

**To be continued in Chapter 53!**


	53. Chapter 53

"This island is about twenty-three nautic miles from the south of Tokyo." A man said as he walked along the path to the beach.

He was Mikihasa, Yoh's father. His long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and he wore a wooden tengu mask with a benkei cap. He wore only orange swimming trunks with a yellow sun design on the side. Walking on either sides of him were large fox spirits.

"Even during high tide, the water is only two or three meters deep off the beach. It's a great spot for fishing for Black Scup." He talked to himself as he walked along, carrying a fishing pole over his shoulder and in the other hand, a tackle-box. "I'm concerned abouts the kids' health so some fresh fish should be good. I'll bet they'll be happy! Very, very happy." He chuckled as he thought of Seyram and Redseb's faces when they would eat the fish.

Up ahead, something caught his eye. It stood over a hundred feet tall as it bent over into the trees. A giant skeleton with black and red designs over its ivory body. It was some sort of oversoul, and he could feel even more in that direction. Mickey dropped his pole and box, running towards the skeleton. He struggled to pick up the large hand off the corpse. He was disgusted by what he saw when he thrusted the skeleton away. All over the beach were bodies. Bloody, some decapitated, some parts missing. He sucked it in as he saw a living, breathing young girl in the midst of the decay. She looked as if she was injured. He pulled out a conch shell and took a deep breath, blowing into it as it blasted a loud note.

"Little girl, are you okay?" He asked her as he knelt over and checked her vital signs.

Her eyes fluttered as she woke up. "Mohammed?" She asked as she looked at Mickey. "Where's Mohammed?"

"Come on, we have to get you medical help right away." He said as he took the red-headed girl's arm and pulled it around his neck to pull her up.

There was a shuffling and then a moaning not too far off. Both Mickey and the girl looked up at the pile of plastic blocks and a little figure on the tip of a sword.

"Blocken?" The girl peered at him.

He panted as he looked up at her. "Kaia?" He spat blood.

"Blocken! You're still alive!" She let go of Mickey and ran to him. She was apprehensive about touching him, she didn't want to bring him anymore pain than he was already in. "Please sir! We have to help him!" She pleaded as she turned to Mickey who now hovered over her.

"He will die soon, if we don't get help soon." Mickey said before he simply pulled Blocken off the sword. "Let's go."

He got up onto the back of one of the foxes with Blocken in his arm, almost lifeless. The second fox crouched down before Kaia, offering her to ride him. She reluctantly got on, hoping it would be like riding a camel.

Suddenly the foxes dashed across the ground. Kaia held on tight to the collar of the fox she rode on. They were so quick and agile as they bounced through the forest towards town. This was not like riding a camel.

They arrived at an inn of some sort. Kaia followed Mickey as he rushed through the door into the inn. She was happy Blocken was alive, at least he was going to get help now. The others were dead, there was nothing she could do about it. Maybe someone will find them and revive them? She hoped so, she wanted to see Turbine's dreamy smile again. She wanted to apologize to Peyote. She wanted to be carried on Bill's shoulder again. She wanted to tell Zang-Ching how good he sings. But all these wishes may not come true. She had no genie like Turbine did that granted every wish he made. She didn't have restoration powers, she had the power of fire, a destructive element. She couldn't help anyone.

"Yohmei! Kino! Keiko!" Mickey shouted through the house.

A little old lady with glasses walked out of a room to greet the anxious people in the hall. "We're in here, Mickey." She said and allowed them to enter.

"Yohmei, we need help." Mickey pleaded as he stared at an old man sitting at a table with a lovely young woman.

The old man, Yohmei jumped up with his cane and led Mickey into a separate room. Kaia watched as they left with Blocken. Hopefully they could help him. She trembled as the memories of the afternoon returned to her. What was she going to do? She was all alone on this island and she doubted that Blocken would help her if he was okay. She would have to survive on her own like before.

"Little girl?" The beautiful, young woman put a hand on her shoulder. Kaia turned to look into her lovely brown eyes.

Was she a mother? She looked so kind and caring. The child must be lucky to have her as a mother. Kaia had no one now.

"You may stay here with us if you like until you can get a boat home." She smiled warmly at her.

"I have no home, ma'am." Kaia looked down sadly.

"Well, we'll have to change that, hm?" She smiled and took Kaia by the hand, leading her up into a room at the second level.

It was plain and boring like her previous room at the boarding house but it was somewhere to stay. The woman unrolled her futon and laid down the pillow and blanket. This woman was so kind, Kaia wished she was her mother or sister.

"We will be having dinner shortly. I can bring your food up here if you'd like to eat alone." The woman offered.

"Yes, please." Kaia replied.

"You'll be alright here. My father will make sure your friend is okay. My name is Keiko Asakura." She smiled from the doorway.

"Asakura?" Kaia looked up, surprised.

"I guess you've heard of our name by now, hm?" She laughed. "Well, my sons are in the tournament."

"You mean... Hao and Yoh?" Kaia asked. Keiko nodded with a frown.

"Yes, those are my sons." Her frown faded. "Well, dinner will be ready in an hour. Try to get some rest, you seem stressed." She said before leaving.

Kaia fell down to the floor and stared at the wooden lines in the floor. So much had happened it was hard to take it all in. She almost didn't want to live anymore, she was at the end of the line anyways. She stared out the window as the sun began to set. She would never see another sunset with Turbine again. She cried as she remembered all the times she had with Turbine. They were all just memories now. Running across the desert with him, riding behind him on a camel, traveling all over the Middle East and Asia, it wasn't going to happen anymore. She was never going to be married to him, she will never see his face again.

Something knocked on the window. She sniffed and turned towards it to see the figure of a boy standing at the window. She was scared as she saw the long brown hair and the white poncho. The boy grinned when the windows slowly opened by themselves.

"Hao?" She trembled, trying to calm down from crying.

"I know how Peyote killed them all. Blocken is still alive, right?" He stepped through the window and into the room. "He seems to defy death a lot. It is sort of annoying." He grinned as Kaia scooted away along the floor. "But what is really annoying is your constant crying. I can hear it all the way across the island."

He bent down close to her and stared into her eyes. "I will stop your weeping." He said as he put his hands over her eyes. "It's a shame, you know? You have seen so many things we these."

Kaia screamed as she felt a pain in the back of her head. She didn't know what he was doing but she kicked and punched to get him away. He finally pulled away and she looked up at him. He was not there. She looked at her hand because it was dark in the room. She couldn't see her hand. Was she blind? It couldn't have gotten dark that fast.

"And this has seen many things too." Hao threw something wooden at the ground. "It shall be blinded also."

Kaia heard the sizzling and cracking that she related to wood on a fire. What was he doing?

"I found it at the beach. Your staff. I knew they were watching over you but I never expected them to be this clever." He watched as the wooden staff burned on the floor.

"Who's they?" Kaia asked, confused.

"You shall see soon enough. Oh wait." Hao laughed as he walked towards the window. "I forgot, you're blind now."

Kaia tried to cry but she couldn't. Her belly ached with sadness. Everything seemed to die around her. Her fiance, her friends, her sight and her staff. Hao had truly stopped her crying. He's taken everything away from her.

"Lavaine?" Kaia called out but there was no answer. He had left her too. Kaia bowed her head as she heard running up the stairs. She was useless to anyone now. No spirit, no sight.

"Are you alright?" Kaia heard Keiko ask her as she bent down low to her, holding her arms.

"Hao... he... I can't see." Kaia's lip quivered. She couldn't cry at all!

"Oh dear." Keiko said worriedly.

"But, Keiko. I can see your face." Kaia slightly smiled. There was an image in her mind, maybe a memory of Keiko's face. "So kind and warm. Why are you crying?"

Keiko took deep breaths as she calmed down. "For Hao to harm a young girl... It's unforgiveable!" She explained. "Come." She commanded Kaia, taking her hands. "I didn't quite catch your name."

"Kaia." She replied as Keiko carefully guided her through the hallway.

"Kaia." Keiko smiled. "What a pretty name."

"Thank you." Kaia felt fuzzy inside. She remembered how Turbine said the same when she introduced herself to him.

"Your friend is getting better by the moment. But you won't be able to see him for awhile." Keiko told her as they walked through the house.

Kaia sighed, she had wanted to talk to Blocken and make sure he was doing alright but she would take Keiko's word for it. She was so sweet.

"I can smell dinner, Sister-Keiko." Kaia smiled up at her as the aroma of rice and fish wafted by her.

Keiko blushed. "Yes, dinner is almost ready." She smiled warmly. "Sisters. Ha."

Kaia loved when Keiko laughed, it made her feel like she mattered. She never had a sister before, she looked forward to spending time with her temporary family until Blocken can get better and they could figure out what they were going to do. In the meantime, Kaia planned to have as much fun while she can before she loses that as well.

**To be continued in Chapter 54!**


	54. Chapter 54

Dinner went well. Keiko had sat Kaia down next to her at the table and helped her get a hold of her utensils. By then, Kaia was able to feed herself. It was so tasty and smelled so good. Kaia wished she could see what it was but it didn't matter. Food was food. After dinner, Kino, Keiko's mother sent Kaia straight to bed. She said it wasn't good for a blind person to be walking around in the dark. This was true and Kaia was relieved to finally go to sleep in fresh blankets instead of the bloody sand. Keiko had told her about her family over dinner.

Mikihasa, the man who had saved her and Blocken was Keiko's husband and father of Hao and Yoh. He loved to climb mountains and fish. Kino, Keiko's mother was an Itako, a blind shaman woman. Kino suggested to Kaia that she can come back to Izumo, Japan with her to train. Kaia said she would sit on the offer. Yohmei, Keiko's father, was an onmyoji who specialized in divination and foretunetelling.

Kaia often felt the presence of some ancient spirit in the house and Keiko explained that it was their ancestor, Yohken Asakura. Kaia was relieved to know it wasn't an evil spirit. The Asakura family was really nice, it was hard to believe Hao was part of them.

The next morning, Kaia felt a bit better. Her heart still ached for the major loss but she wasn't in as much pain as yesterday. Keiko knocked on the door.

"Come in, sister!" Kaia called happily. Keiko walked in with a bright smile. Kaia could just sense the kindness radiating off of her.

"The Tao family is coming later for a family meeting about the beach incident. You need to get dressed in some nicer clothes. They are a very rich and sophisticated family." She explained.

Kaia frowned. She remembered the last time she had looked at her dress. It was stained with blood and all dirty, beyond wash and repair.

"I have the perfect dress for you. I know you can't see it to appreciate it but at least other people will be able to admire it." Keiko laid a dress on Kaia's lap.

"Thank you, sister." Kaia smiled up at her as she ran her hands along the dress. It felt like silk.

"Your welcome, Kaia." Keiko said and put a pair of shoes in Kaia's hands. "I will be coming back in ten minutes to get you." She left, shutting the door.

Kaia hummed as she sat the shoes down at her feet and laid the dress nicely on the floor. She pulled her raggedy old dress off and threw it to the ground. It was the start of a new life, she thought as she felt the silk dress to examine how to put it on. It seemed to be buttoned up in the back. She unbuttoned it and slipped into it, pulling it up and putting her arms through it. She buttoned up as many buttons as she could but she would have to ask Keiko to help her with the rest. She felt for the shoes and put them on. They were laced up the front and she felt around to undo them and tie them back up.

Keiko came back up and knocked on the door, politely. Kaia answered and as Keiko walked in, she gasped in admiration.

"Oh, Kaia! You look lovely!" She exclaimed as she helped her button up the dress.

Kaia stood before Keiko in the loveliest white and red dress. The dress was white and long, reaching down to Kaia's ankle with five inches of lace off the silk skirt. The bodice was silk with puffed shoulders and slim sleeves ending in five inches of lace at the wrists, covering her hands. Lace covered the higher part of her chest, curving down right above her breasts and reaching up her neck, almost to her chin. Around the waist was a red ribbon that tied in the back, hanging elegantly to where her kneecaps would have been. The shoes were short, red boots that came up above her ankles. At the top of the laces was a decorative red rose. If only Kaia could see the dress, she'd be so happy. She would have imagined her wedding dress to be much like this.

"I shall fix up your hair and we will cover your eyes with this ribbon." Keiko said as she walked Kaia to a chair. Kaia nodded, she was sure Turbine would want her to put the ribbon to good use. She wondered what Keiko would do with her hair.

Keiko hummed sweetly as she pulled and combed at Kaia's hair. The ribbon lay across Kaia's shoulder, waiting to be wrapped around her head.

"I've always wanted a sister or a daughter. I never had that chance." Keiko told her as she pinned up Kaia's hair with pokey bobby pins.

"I too, have never had a sister." Kaia sighed. "I bet I would have had a daughter if I had married Mohammed."

"Who was this Mohammed? I hear you talk about him in your sleep." Keiko giggled.

Kaia couldn't help but smile. It seemed so secretive when talking about Turbine to another girl. "He was my fiance. One of the victims on the beach."

"Oh, I am so sorry!" Keiko put down her tools and gave Kaia a quick hug. "I know what it's like to lose a fiance."

"You mean you were betrothed before Mickey?" Kaia asked when Keiko returned to her work.

"Yes, several times but when I told them about Hao Asakura, they left me." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry." Kaia exhaled.

"That's okay. I have Mickey now." Keiko smiled.

"So just because your first fiance is gone, doesn't mean you have to stop there, right?"

"No, dear. Even if you loved him dearly, I'm sure he would want you to be happy and marry someone else." She explained.

"Would I meet someone else someday?" Kaia asked hopeful.

"Maybe." Keiko wrapped the bandage around Kaia's head over her eyes and tied it in the back. "There."

Kaia's hair that wasn't close to her head was curled and hung about her shoulders elegantly. The rest of her hair above the curls was straight and penned down near her neck. It was a classic Victorian curl.

"It's so fun to dress you up." Keiko exclaimed as she put red lipstick on Kaia's lips and dashed her face with powder.

"I've never had this kind of attention before." Kaia smiled.

"Come, we must show you off around the house." Keiko said as she took Kaia's hand. "First, we must show your friend, Blocken."

Butterflies flew around in her stomach as she thought about what Blocken would say. Was she really as beautiful as Keiko claimed? She hoped so, she felt lovely.

Kaia took a deep breath as Keiko slid the door open and walked inside with her.

"Is that... Kaia?" Blocken panted from the hospital bed. Keiko nodded with a modest smile and urged Kaia forward.

Kaia blushed as she put her hands to her cheek, waiting for him to say something.

"Turbine always said you looked lovely in red." Was all he said before he passed out.

Kaia's smile faded. He didn't really compliment her at all. He only said what Turbine always said. He didn't express his own opinion.

"It takes a lot of furyoku for him to live, Kaia. He's wore out all the time and sleeps constantly." Keiko whispered in her ear. "You should have seen him smile though." She lied, trying to cheer him up.

No one could see Blocken's expression as he was still wearing his mask. His block-like arms and legs were gone though, most likely part of his oversoul. A long line split open his block chest where the blade had pierced him. In order to operate, they had to remove his armor temporarily. Apparently he requested it to be put back on, in fear of Kaia seeing him in his present state.

Everyone thought Kaia looked lovely as Keiko walked her around the house. Kaia felt so good inside. She never felt this beautiful before. As Yohken announced the Tao family arriving, she hoped they would find her beautiful too and appreciate what the Asakura family had done for her.

**To be continued in Chapter 55!**


	55. Chapter 55

"This is our family meeting before the final fight." Tao Jun, Ren's sister said from the doorway as she and Anna listened in on the conversation.

Yohken sat at the end of the room in the middle of the two families as they sat on opposite sides of each other. Kaia sat at Keiko's right side, Mickey sitting on Keiko's left. Next to him sat Kino and Yohmei. Across from them sat Ching Tao, Ren's grandfather. Next to him was Tao Ran, Ren's mother and next to her was Tao En, his father accompanied by a zombie bodyguard. Everyone seemed very serious. Keiko kept her warm and kind smile on, Kaia sensed her smile and knew it was okay.

"I suppose you already know about the beach. We know this is something everyone should be worried about, but Hao has been our issue for a longer time. Because of this, we have something to show you. Mikihasa." Yohmei said as he was head of the Asakura family.

Mickey got up and turned around, picking up something from behind him. "He is one of the two survivors from the beach. Blocken Mayer." He introduced him as he sat the small, lifeless body onto his seat pillow.

Blocken panted as he struggled to stay alive. He had such a strong will for such a small person. His block armor was chipped and cracked, stained with blood.

"He has been a follower and apprentice of Hao for fifteen years. We found him almost dead on the beach, but we were able to bring him to a stable condition and saved his life." Mickey explained. "If we can make him talk, then we might find something important." He sat behind Blocken on the hard wooden floor. "He and Kaia were the only survivors."

"Who is Kaia?" Tao Ran asked. Kaia opened her mouth but suddenly someone else interrupted her.

"Kaia is our daughter!" A clear, strong, feminine voice shouted as they pushed past Jun and Anna.

Kaia turned in their direction, even though she couldn't see. She could sense Lavaine as he flew up above her. He had returned to her!

A tall, pale woman with red hair in a bun appeared in the doorway. She wore a long, slim red dress with orange sequins forming flames at the bottom. On her feet were red stilettos, which were probably the cause of her height. Beside her, on a leash stood a large tiger that snarled and growled.

Behind her, a tall man walked in. He had short red hair and round glasses. He wore a white tuxedo with a blue shirt and red bowtie. He looked a lot like Mansumi as he stared at everyone, emotionless, his lips pressed firmly together.

"Kaia, darling. Are you alright? Come, we will take you away from these plebeins. We are your real blood parents." The woman explained as she leaned over and brushed Kaia's curls.

"Reine, she is blind. She wouldn't be able to tell one way or the other." The man explained to his wife.

"Lavaine, explain to Kaia that we are her parents." Reine commanded the spirit.

"Yes, Mistress Reine." Lavaine said as he disappeared into Kaia's consciousness for a private conversation.

"You're Kaia's real parents?" Mickey leaped up before them.

"Yes we are. We have been watching her through the camera mechanism we had implanted in a wooden staff but recently, it had been destroyed by Hao." The man pushed his glasses up his nose. They glinted in the light.

"You mean to tell me that you left your daughter to survive on her own while watching her?" Mickey asked.

"It's all for their experiment." Blocken chimed in.

Everyone, including Kaia, looked to him for an explanation.

"They endowed Kaia with a powerful spirit at birth and sent her off to live in the harshest places on earth at the time to develop a hate towards humanity. It's a project called Project Apocalypse. Their intention was for Kaia to destroy humanity when she was strong enough. Then they learned of Hao and his power." Blocken explained slowly, taking deep breaths bewteen sentences.

"That's right." The man confirmed. "Hao knew this the moment he met her. It was a real shame he took her sight away but we want to take her home and fix that problem."

"To do what? Give her new eyes that shoot lasers?" Blocken snapped. "All you've done for her is taken away her free will and made her your guinea pig!"

"You're in no position to talk, halfling!" Reine snapped.

"Mother!" Kaia stood up and called her down, angrily.

"Don't bring yourself down to their level, dearest. They are nothing to us Brintons." Reine squinted at the two families that were surprised by the unwanted visitors. "Come, Kaia. We're leaving." She announced as she turned on her heels and tugged on the tiger's leash. "Fetch her, Vulcan." She ordered her husband.

He nodded and grabbed Kaia by the arm, pulling her against her will towards the door.

"You can't take her away! She's engaged to Blocken!" Mickey shouted.

"Hey!" Blocken shouted, embarrassed.

The family stopped and turned. "She's engaged to another man?" Reine stared angrily.

Mickey nodded and pointed at Blocken. "She's engaged to him."

"The halfling!?" Reine held her head with her hands.

"This is a disgrace to the Brinton family." Vulcan shook his head.

"Kaia, you must break this engagement. We'll betroth you to that young man from the Callahan family. They're very well bred and intellectual. Not to mention, very rich." Reine pleaded with her daughter, pulling at her arm.

"No!" Kaia yanked her arms away from them. She didn't like either ideas of being married to a man she didn't know or engaged to Blocken. She wasn't quite ready yet. "After fifteen years I had to live on my own, and now you want me back? No way! I'm staying here with people who care for me and didn't leave me for dead."

"But sweety, we left Lavaine with you." Reine made a point.

"He's a spirit, mother." Kaia frowned. "He can't love me or care for me physically. He can only advise me on what to do and assist me in a shaman battle."

"We've taken good care of her here, Mrs. Brinton." Keiko said, keeping her cool. "And we will continue to treat her as one of our own if she wishes to stay."

"Our daughter being fostered by Hao's family?" Reine sneered at the idea. "Never!"

"Kaia, wouldn't you rather live in a beautiful mansion and go to a boarding school? You can have your own pets and your own clothes. Anything you want." Vulcan bribed her.

"What good is it all if I can't even see?" Kaia said, wishing she could enjoy all those luxuries.

"Stop! All of you!" Tao En shouted as he stood up. Even Reine backed away in fear. "This sudden interruption was very unpleasant. I'm sure the Asakuras don't want you in their household bickering about your daughter who obviously wishes to stay here with her fiance."

"I'm not her fiance!" Blocken shouted but no one seemed to pay attention.

"I guess we are not wanted here." Reine sighed and walked out of the house as if getting her daughter meant nothing to her anymore.

Vulcan walked up to Kaia and grabbed her hand. He produced a little card out of its pocket and placed it in her hand. "In case you ever need us, here is our contact information. I'm sure you can find someone to help you contact us." He leaned in and kissed her forehead with no emotion, as if it was an everyday ritual with no meaning at all. Not like Turbine's kisses full of love and compassion. Kaia's stomach heaved as she remembered him.

Her father turned and followed Reine and the tiger back out to the street where a limosine waited for them. Kaia faced the two families, her face full of embarrassment and sadness.

"I am very sorry for interrupting. I will go up to my room now so I won't cause you all anymore trouble." Kaia bowed at both of the families and ran up the steps, feeling for the rail.

"Kaia..." Keiko started but she let her go. "I am very sorry too, I didn't know that would happen."

Tao Ching raised his hand. "No need to be sorry. It is quite understandable. That was very unexpected but we should continue the meeting."

"Agreed." Everyone said in unison except Blocken, whose mind was still on poor Kaia as she laid on the floor in her room, stomach aching with tears but unable to shed any.

**To be continued in Chapter 56!**


	56. Chapter 56

What was the meaning of life? Was it to live and die, give birth to the next generation? Or was it to achieve your goals only to boast about them in your old age, all for nothing? For Kaia, the meaning of life was to suffer and be teased by temporary blessings. All her life, she had to survive on her own and suffer from starvation and dehydration. Every good thing that had ever happened to her only lasted for a very short time. Turbine, Boris, Basil, Bill, Peyote, Freedom. They were all dead and soon Fate would take even more away from her. It was best if Kaia didn't get too attached to anyone anymore, for fear of losing them and hurting herself even more.

Lavaine materialized above her as she laid out, facedown on the floor. He gazed down at her sadly. It seemed that she no longer had the will to live. He understood after all that had happened to her in the past couple days. She had lost so much and gained barely anything. She would gain so much if she returned to her family. She would be married off to a rich man, give Reine and Vulcan grandchildren and make a great contribution to the project. But as her guardian ghost, he would stay by her in all of her descisions, although it wasn't part of the plan.

Hours passed and Keiko peeked in. She figured Kaia was asleep, it was hard to tell with the blindfold over her eyes. The poor thing, she thought as she pulled a blanket over her. She's gone through so much.

Mickey walked in, carrying Blocken's body. He panted hard, struggling to live.

"She's asleep." Keiko said quietly to him.

"I wanted to talk to her." Blocken said sadly.

Suddenly, Kaia sat up. "Who's there?" She asked, fearful.

"Don't worry, Kaia." Keiko's voice soothed her. She bent down and touched her face. "Blocken wanted to talk to you."

"He does?" Kaia smiled.

Mickey sat Blocken down on the floor in front of Kaia and left with Keiko. Blocken looked up at Kaia. Her cute red curls against her pale skin and the beautiful white dress that showed her perplexion. How can people hurt her feelings like that? He took a deep breath and looked down from her beauty, he was unworthy.

"I've been thinking about what Mickey said earlier." He began. "About you being engaged to me." He stopped for a long time, nervous of this discussion. "I know that you're still mourning about Turbine and you don't want to go with your parents so I was thinking... When I get better, would you like to come to Hiroshima with me?"

"Would I be your wife?" Kaia asked, raising her slender hands to her face to cover her blushing.

"Not if you don't want to!" Blocken sweated nervously. "I can adopt you or we can just live together. But you would like Hiroshima. It's really beautiful there and..." He stopped when he remembered that she couldn't see.

"I don't want to get too attached. " Kaia stuttered. Blocken waited anxiously for her answer. "I don't want to lose you." She choked. If it wasn't for what Hao had done to her, she probably would have cried.

"Kaia, I will never leave you nor will you lose me. I have a large amount of furyoku and I can protect both of us. But if you want to stay here, I can understand." If only I had arms, he thought.

"The Asakuras are all really nice and I would miss Keiko a lot. But my heart is telling me to go with you." She put her hand on her chest, covered with lace.

"So will you come with me?" He asked. Kaia nodded with a smile. Blocken sighed, relieved that beautiful Kaia wanted to be with him, a freak of nature. "I promise you, Kaia: you'll be well taken care of and I'll make you happy."

"That's all I've ever wanted." Kaia smiled sweetly.

"Good night, Kaia. Tomorrow will be a better day, I promise." Blocken said as Mickey slid open the door,

"Good night Blocken." She waved as Mickey took him away.

"Are you hungry sweetheart?" Keiko asked her as she walked in after Mickey. Kaia shook her head. Her stomach was upset. She hadn't felt this since she met Turbine. Her gut twisted and turned, floated up and fell down like a boulder. What was this feeling? Was she falling in love with Blocken?

As Keiko left, Kaia held onto her chest. "Oh, God! Please rip it out." She whispered harshly. She didn't want to be heartbroken again. Blocken was close to death this time, what if he died later on? She would be left in the same situation again.

He survived many hardships, she could give him that. All he wanted to do was care for her and make her happy. The least she can do is let him. But if she fell in love with him, and something happened to him, what could she do? She have to contact her damned parents. That's what she'd have to do. Unless Keiko can give her the Asakura's contact information. But what good would it do if she was blind? Wait, Lavaine left to get her parents when they lost contact. Maybe she could send him to get help? That's a plan!

Maybe that's what Keiko was talking about, to marry another. Maybe Blocken was the one Kaia was meant to marry? But she thought Turbine was her soul mate. Most importantly, did Blocken feel the same? Kaia decided she would wait to ask him. They've both went through a lot and the idea of marriage seemed a little too quick. She shook her head. Why was she developing feelings for him? She's never had that before. He was just a concerned friend about her welfare. He probably didn't love her anyways. Not like Turbine did. Turbine would have built a large tomb for her if she died. Come to think of it, he never said what he wished she would do if he died. He'd probably want something simple, to be buried properly instead of laying in the sand. She would have to make sure they all got a proper burial before she leaves with Blocken.

For now, Kaia will wait patiently for Blocken to recover, which she hoped would be fairly quick. It was time to turn a new leaf. As the phoenix burns up and dies, a new one is reborn. So shall she, leaving her old life behind to embrace a better one with Blocken.

**To be continued in Chapter 57!**


	57. Chapter 57

It was a beautiful morning to be alive. For humans who didn't know what was going on in an island south of Tokyo, that is. Hao had already won the Shaman Tournament and was waiting to merge with The Great Spirit. Soon, everyone who he didn't favor would be dead and he would create a new world.

The wind blew the wooden chimes outside as everyone sat silently, eating breakfast. Keiko was the only one who kept an optimistic face about her.

"It is good to remain calm, after all, shouldn't we trust that the kids will succeed?" She had said earlier that morning.

Kaia, Keiko and Kino sat around eating at the table. Mickey, Blocken and Yohmei had woken up early and ate breakfast before them. The boys were up to something, they all thought.

Keiko had given Kaia another dress to wear. A beautiful white sun dress with red roses on the print. Her hair was still curled in beautiful, long red locks. If only Kaia could admire herself in the mirror, she would be utterly happy.

Mickey bursted in, followed by Blocken. Mickey wore his orange swimming trunks and had a fishing pole over his shoulder. Blocken had fixed himself up with lego arms and legs and repaired the body armor. He wore the old ugly ochre cloak that Kaia didn't particularly care for. She wouldn't mind anymore, she's blind now.

"Let's go fishing!" Mickey exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Have you ever gone fishing before, Kaia?" Blocken asked her from the doorway. Kaia shook her head.

"Oh, Kaia! You'll have so much fun." Keiko smiled happily, ignoring the fact she was blind. "Let me get you some sandals and a sun hat to protect your face."

Keiko rushed off to look for a matching hat and pair of sandals. Blocken walked up to Kaia and touched her hand with his rectangular lego hand.

"I never got to tell you how nice you looked yesterday." He whispered to her. Kaia smiled sweetly. "You look pretty today too."

"Thank you, Blocken." Kaia turned her head to face him, giving him a sincere smile.

"You two should be engaged." Mickey laughed.

"Hey!" Blocken shouted angrily, blushing behind his mask.

Keiko soon returned with a straw hat and straw sandals. "Here you go, dear." She smiled as she placed the hat upon Kaia's head. There was a red ribbon on it that tied into a bow in the back. Kaia reached up and touched the rim of the hat curiously as Keiko placed the sandals on her bare feet.

"She looks cute, doesn't she?" Mickey knudged Blocken. He nodded embarrassingly.

"Have fun you three!" Keiko called as Blocken took Kaia's hand and led her through the hall to the door, following Mickey.

"Wow, it's beautiful out!" Mickey exclaimed as they walked down the street.

Kaia held onto her hat as they walked along, fearing that it would blow away. She was half leaned over, holding Blocken's raised up hand.

"There's not a cloud in the sky." Mickey described the day to Kaia. "A perfect day for fishing."

Kaia smiled. "Where will we be fishing at?" She asked him.

"Uh..." Mickey stuttered.

"Don't tell her..." Blocken murmured.

"What? Don't tell me what?" Kaia asked them both.

"It's hard to keep a surprise from you Kaia." Blocken quickly fixed up a lie. He turned his head to look at her as they walked. "We're going to have a barbeque tonight."

"A barbeque?" Kaia was confused. "What's that?"

"When everyone gets together and eats food cooked on a grill." Mickey explained to her.

"It'll be fun, Kaia." Blocken smiled through his already smiling mask. She gave him a smile back, looking forward to this "barbeque."

"There they are." Kaia heard someone say in the distance.

"I can't believe they survived."

"What's going on?" Kaia whispered to Blocken.

"Is that Kaia?" A familiar voice asked.

"Bill?" Kaia stopped, letting go of Blocken's hand. She looked around, the mental picture of the large man in her head.

"I'm right here, Kaia." He put his heavy hands on her shoulders.

"Are you a ghost?" She asked, trembling.

"No Kaia. We are very much alive." He smiled down at her, glad she was okay.

"They were revived by the Gandara." Mickey said to her.

"Then..." Kaia's mind began to race, her heart beating fast. "Turbine!" She ran forward, looking for his familiar presence. "Turbine!" She called out for him.

Bill looked at her sadly and approached her. "Unfortuneately, he and Peyote could not be revived. I'm sorry, Kaia. They did all they could." He patted her shoulder reassuringly.

Kaia fell to her knees, partly because of the pressure of Bill's hand and partly because her heart had been lifted up to the heavens and dropped, landing in the pits of hell. How could they not be revived? Bill was in worse shape than both of them! He was decapitated!

"Their spirits must have passed on, they couldn't return to their bodies." Zang-Ching voice said to her.

"You too Zang-Ching?" Kaia looked in his direction. "What about..."

"They are revived too." Bill quickly cut her off. "But they are worse than before."

"Oh great." Kaia mumbled, pulling her hat down over her face.

"Come on, Kaia. See? This is a better day as I promised you. Our friends were revived, isn't that good?" Blocken came up to her, trying to cheer her up.

Kaia shrugged. "I wanted Turbine..." She mumbled, her belly aching.

Bill leaned over, picking her up and placed her on his shoulders. His armor was gone and he wore a white muscle shirt, football padded pants, kneepads and red and white boots with a yellow star on the shin. His blonde hair was so long and unkept, Kaia ran her hands through it, trying to comb it out.

"Let's go fishing, Kaia. We'll have a barbeque tonight. Did Blocken tell you about that?" Bill asked as he followed Blocken and Mickey, Zang-Ching and Hanagumi trailing behind him.

"Yeah." Kaia nodded.

"I'm sure Turbine wanted you to have fun." Bill told her.

Kaia choked on imaginary tears that wouldn't shed. She wanted to make Turbine happy, maybe having fun was the way as Bill said. "What about Peyote? What would he have wanted?" She suddenly asked, thinking of him as her kind heart would.

Everyone walked silently until Blocken broke the loud silence. "None of us liked Peyote." He said. "He was a dangerous character."

Kaia looked down sadly. She had felt sorry for Peyote and she still does after he had killed all of her friends. She didn't know that everyone hated him from the start. No wonder he had fallen in love with her, she was the only one to care. Why was she like that? A caring and forgiving person? Why was she like Blocken? Could two people be so similar yet so different at the same time? Was that what made up a soul mate?

Bill sat Kaia down on the dock, a foot away from the edge. "Be careful not to fall, okay Kaia?" He made sure she was seated well. She nodded and felt around her surroundings. She felt the heavy weight on the dock as Bill and Zang-Ching sat down near her. Then she felt the kind and protective aura of Blocken as he sat down next to her, smiling contentedly underneath his mask as he looked over at her.

"I smell blood." Kaia said, covering her nose to stop from inhaling the stench. Blocken's smile faded.

"That's because this is the west coast beach." Bill explained. "This is where it all happened."

**To be continued in Chapter 58!**


	58. Chapter 58

Kaia shook with sadness and anger. "Why did you bring me here?" She whispered as she buried her face in her knees.

"This is the best spot to fish!" Mickey exclaimed, to change the mood.

Bill leaned over and wrapped his large arm around the small bundle wearing a hat. "Just try to have some fun, it will make Blocken happy." He whispered in her ear so Blocken wouldn't hear.

This place gave her such horrible memories. She could still smell the stench of blood from the massacre. The constant screams of pain and how she found Peyote... She shivered at the thought.

Keiko told her to have fun, Bill is asking her to have fun, and she was sure Turbine wished for her to have fun. Maybe she should try to have some fun for everyone's sake? After all, it would make Blocken and Turbine happy.

"Here Kaia, you can fish using Mickey's extra pole." Blocken said as he placed the handle in her hands. Kaia smiled as he helped her cast it out by holding her hands with his rectangular ones, raising the pole above her head and bringing it back down, performing an average cast into the ocean.

"Wow, that was easy!" Kaia exclaimed, feeling accomplished. "Thanks Blocken." She smiled in his direction as he finally let go of her hands.

It was amazing, he felt something when he touched her. His arms weren't _his_ arms, they were legoes with no nerves in them. But when he touched her small beautiful hands with them, he felt something stir inside him. Was this what Turbine felt when he held her or touched her? Was it love?

He watched her gaze happily at the horizon while fishing blindly. Her cute red curls falling over her shoulders under her straw hat, her slender legs dangling over the side of the dock. She was cute. He couldn't wait to take her to Hiroshima and have her around all the time. He would help her cope with her blindness. It would be hard for her to get along by herself, like he did. He'll make sure she was happy and content, more than she's ever been in her poor life. Whether she was his wife or not, he would love her and care for her. He wondered if she felt the same way. He figured he would ask her tonight at the barbeque. He hoped she wouldn't get angry for being too quick. Better to do it now than later. There was no telling when the world would end with Hao being Shaman King.

Kaia took a deep, relaxing breath. She could feel presences all about her and began to mentally map them in her mind. Blocken sat to her left, very close. She could feel his lego body barely brushing up against her's. Bill sat to her right with in comfortable length. He wasn't in her space like Blocken was but she didn't mind. Zang Ching sat on Bill's right, humming a tune, working his way up to singing it. At the end of the dock, about ten feet away sat Mickey. Kana, Marion and Matilda sat together as far away as they could get from the others. They sat at the beginning of the dock that jutted out from the beach. She could feel their sadness from so far away. They had been obsessed with Hao until Peyote told them about Hao's secret ability. Kaia figured as much from the start but it sort of surprised her to know it was true. At least, coming from Peyote's mouth.

"What are you thinking about?" Blocken suddenly asked her, wondering what her deep breath was for.

"Oh, nothing." Kaia replied, dazed.

Blocken eyed her curiously. She smiled down at her lap as if she was thinking of a pleasant thing or memory. "Are you excited?" He asked her.

"Excited about what?" She seemed absolutely clueless.

"I don't know, everything? The barbeque, Hiroshima..." He listed exciting things.

"Oh, yes! Of course I'm excited." She grinned.

"I'm glad. I'm excited about it all too." He said, anxiously waiting to ask her how she felt and confess his feelings for her tonight. He was looking forward to spending the rest of his life with her too if they survive Hao's Apocalypse.

"Kaia gets easily excited." Bill chuckled. "I remember at her birthday party, she almost hopped all over with excitement."

"Yeah, or like the time she and Basil were training." Zang-Ching smirked. "I always thought they'd go out together. I sure was surprised when I heard about the egagement."

Bill turned and smacked Zang-Ching across the arm, causing no effect to him but a red mark. "It's funny where life takes you." Bill smiled down at Kaia, remembering all that they've been through.

When he first met her, he thought she was so cute. He didn't know anything about her past, her true power, all he knew was that she had traveled with that Turbine. He believed that she didn't belong in this Shaman Tournament, she should go and live out the rest of her childhood until she could be married by a lucky man. But she began to surprise him. When they were sent to attack Yoh and his friends on the way to Patch Village, she was very agile despite her leg. Her fight against The Pixies, her furyoku recoveries and her training with Blocken, it truly amazed Bill. She wasn't just a cute, friendly little girl. She was determined, strong and brave. The kind of girl he liked.

Kaia heard the ocean as it slapped and splashed at her feet. It was warm and inviting, like Turbine's embrace. "Oh, Turbine..." She whispered softly with a warm smile. She could remember his dreamy smile and his messy black hair. His soft, warm kisses and his protective arms. She will miss him.

"Since we are all gathered here now, we know that Hao has become Shaman King and is waiting to merge with the Great Spirit. The whole world is trying to come to this island and a lot of Shamans are trying to stop Hao from merging. As his followers, you know it would take too much furyoku to stop them so my question is... Are you still loyal to Hao?" Mickey asked them.

They all sat in silence for a long time. No one wanted to make themself look like a traitor, like Peyote. Blocken didn't want to answer until Kaia did. He didn't care either way, that brat is old enough to take care of himself now. Kaia needs him more than Hao does.

"I don't want anything to do with him anymore, he took away my sight." Kaia said, frowning.

"Me neither. He took my limbs long ago." Blocken said quickly after Kaia.

"I am not loyal to Hao anymore. I do not see it right to kill off others for the sake of peace." Bill said, staring into the blue ocean.

"Me too. Peyote's words opened my mind. I don't know why I was following Hao, I only wanted to be a pop idol." Zang-Ching said shortly after Bill, nervous about saying anyting.

"You are a great singer, Zang-Ching." Kaia complimented him, remembering what she had wanted to say to him.

"Thanks Kaia." He smiled at her appreciatively.

"We too, are not loyal to Hao anymore." Kana announced plainly, speaking for the other two.

"Great, so you will all help the greater cause?" Blocken asked them.

"Yes!" They all replied in unison. Some were mere grunts, some were enthusiastic replies.

Mindless followers, joining the good side. Blocken smiled under his mask. At least Kaia was with him, he didn't care about the others. Soon it would just be him and her in Hiroshima.

"Excellent!" Mickey exclaimed, happy to see the change in all of them. He reeled in his pole and stood up. "I think that'll be enough for the barbeque." He handed both Blocken and Bill a bucket of fish and started walking down the dock. "Let's get going."

Bill helped Kaia reel in her pole and carried it along with the bucket of fish, carrying Kaia again on his shoulders. Blocken passed by him and followed Mickey up the beach towards the underpass. He felt a connection to the father of Hao and Yoh after he had fostered Hao himself so long ago.

Kaia giggled as she felt the breeze try to take her hat away. She held it down with a hand and held onto Bill with the other although his broad body wouldn't let her fall off. Turbine was right, wishes really do come true, she thought to herself.

**To be continued in Chapter 59!**


	59. Chapter 59

Kaia could hear the seagulls pass over them as the group walked quietly along the road.

"Anahol, this isn't the time for making jokes. We still have many things to do." She heard a girl say.

"That's right." Mickey said, scaring Anahol by the sudden appearance. "We have to calculate the furyoku of Yoh and his friends. We really have many things to do." He breathed through his mask at Anahol, sending shivers down his spine.

"Damn you Mickey!" Anahol shouted, leaping back. "Why do you want to calculate other's furyoku?"

"The oracle bell has the function to quantify furyoku. With this we must find out how the furyoku can be distrubed for reaching our objective." Blocken said putting the bucket of fish down, droplets of water splashing onto the road.

"Blocken!" Anahol exclaimed, surprised. "How can you go fishing with an enemy!?"

"These are for dinner. We will have a barbeque. Besides, you're acting together with an enemy too." He retorted.

"This is different! I have no other option!" Anahol pointed angrily at Anna.

"Enemies, friends, it doesn't matter anymore." Blocken sighed. "After all, Hao has already become the Shaman King and he is waiting to merge with the Great Spirit." Anahol stood, dazed. "Then are you telling me that we have to get rid of those standing in Hao's way? We don't have enough strength for that."

"No! That's not what I meant. I was talking about pride..." Anahol started to explain.

"I know you have noticed too... All the others agreed with me." Blocken said as Big Guy Bill stepped out of the darkness of the underpass. Kaia on his shoulders and Zang-Ching following behind them. The girls of Hanagumi stepped out, dressed in white robes like ghosts.

"Hanagumi! Zang-Ching! Big Guy Bill! Kaia!" He exclaimed, greeting them. Kaia waved excitedly at him. "But then... you aren't dead? What about Turbine and Peyote?"

"Unfortuneately, those two couldn't be revived due to serious injuries." Bill explained, his eyes seemed ice cold.

"And Anahol," Zang-Ching piped up from under his cap. "The Festival of the Stars isn't over yet."

Anahol froze in terror as Zang-Ching said this. "What's happening here?" He gulped.

Kaia could remember the Egyptain man's long nose and his royal smile. She could picture him standing where she felt his presence. Tall and lanky, cropped black hair and that long nose. There was a stronger presence standing not too far away, a girl just as old as her. Kaia had felt this person's presence before, taking over the presence of her mother. Was this Anna, Yoh's head strong, feminist fiance? How Kaia looked up to her!

"Anna, here is my oracle bell. I will set up here while you go and get the others." Mickey said, handing the girl his oracle bell. She nodded and ran off obediantley.

"So you're planning to have a barbeque with everyone?" Anahol asked Mickey as they walked down the beach where a grill and wash basin was located.

"Why not? As Blocken said, it doesn't matter anymore." He replied putting his tacklebox down by the grill.

Bill sat down the bucket and fishing pole and let Kaia down. She stood there, not knowing exactly where to go. She was both excited and nervous about the barbeque. She had never been to one before and was nervous about what would happen.

Blocken was even more nervous as the time to ask her crept up on him. He tried to get his mind off of her by helping Mickey start the grill but her beautiful figure ankle-deep in the water made him fluttery.

"Hey! You're Kaia, right?" A girl asked her as she ran up to her, standing in the sand. Kaia nodded, turning to her from the horizon. "I'm Tamao, Mikihasa-sama's disciple. He said we were the same age and we should be friends."

Kaia could feel the bubbly presence of this girl, it reminded her of Keiko's. She smiled at Tamao, she never had a friend that was a girl before.

Tamao kicked off her shoes and joined Kaia in the water. They held hands as the tide came in and rushed over their feet, each time they took a step further into the water before their clothes got wet. They giggled as they ran back up on the beach, hand in hand. Kaia never had so much fun before. Their feet sunk in the wet sand and they could feel the small clams snuggle back into the sand after the wave of tides.

"Kaia dearest!" A feminine voice called from the hill. Kaia froze as she felt the familiar presence of her parents as they waltzed down the hill with that huge tiger towards her.

"Is that your parents?" Tamao asked, holding her fists to her chest.

"Yeah." Kaia replied and stood up straight, facing them.

"This isn't good." Blocken muttered, wishing he could hide behind the grill.

"We came to join the plebein dinner called a 'barbeque,' and mostly to see you my dearest daughter." Reine took out a handkercheif and cleaned Kaia's face then tossed the handkercheif away like it was nothing.

The tiger uttered a low growl at Tamao who backed away in fear. Kaia could feel the movement and spoke up.

"Mother, father, this is my new friend, Tamao." Kaia pointed to her.

Both Reine and Vulcan studied the girl with a proffessional eye for peers. Tamao squirmed nervously, Kaia's parents reminded her of Ren's family. So rich and powerful. She was especially afraid of the tiger.

"Hey, it's rude to stare!" Konchi, a kitsune spirit exclaimed.

"Yeah, bug off! She's not for sale!" Ponchi, a tanuki spirit crossed his arms in front of his chest defiantly.

"Such rude and atrocious little spirits." Reine grimaced, turning back to Kaia. "She is truly your friend?" Her mother asked her. Kaia nodded in reply.

"Tamao is my friend, the same with everyone else here so get used to it." Kaia said rebelliously.

Reine frowned disapprovingly. "We will deal with it today." She sighed. "Kaia, dearest, have you and your fiance decided when the wedding will be and where you will live?"

Mickey ushered Blocken to Kaia's side. He stood there next to her, sweating nervously.

"Eh well... We haven't set a date yet but we plan to live in Hiroshima." He quickly said.

"Oh, Hiroshima?" Vulcan adjusted his glasses. "Have you lived there previously, Mr. Mayer?" He leaned over at him and Blocked leaned back away.

"Yeah..." He replied, the glasses reflected the sun so he couldn't see his eyes.

"You're a shaman too, correct?" Vulcan asked Blocken.

"Yeah."

"What is your medium?" He asked.

"Why don't you fight me and find out?" Blocken challenged him, getting tired of the questions.

"Fine, I accept your challenge. I wish to test your strength and determine if you're worthy of my daughter." He took off his glasses and tucked them away in his pocket.

"Vulcan..." His wife gave him a side long look.

"Please Papa, don't hurt Blocken." Kaia begged.

"I'm not worthy." Blocken muttered as he walked towards a clear area of the beach so no one would get in the way.

"Don't worry ladies, everything will be fine." He assured them as he pulled out a pair of black goggles from his pocket and strapped them on. He stood a distance away from Blocken and threw his jacket off, revealing large muscles that you wouldn't expect on such a skinny man.

"Oh Vulcan..." Reine blushed and covered her smile.

Kaia could feel her father's aura growing stronger as he prepared for battle. She hoped he wouldn't hurt Blocken but he really wanted to go through with this. Maybe he did love her?

Tamao grabbed onto Kaia's arm, looking for some sort of support and protection from the growling tiger who wouldn't have harmed her anyways as it brushed affectionately up against Kaia's leg.

**To be continued in Chapter 60!**


	60. Chapter 60

Blocken stared out at Vulcan through his mask. Surely he could beat this man, if that's what Vulcan wanted. He wanted to prove to everyone that he was strong enough to care for Kaia. He wanted to prove to her that he loved her and could protect her. Besides, he wanted to shut his big mouth up.

Everyone on the beach watched the battle intensely as the two stood facing each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Vulcan smirked as he stood in a boxing position.

"I won't give you any special treatment, Mr. Mayer. You're just like any other adversary until you've beaten me." He hopped back and forth, warming up his muscles that probably hadn't been used in a Shaman battle for years.

"Nor will I hold back just because you are Kaia's father." Blocken said as he threw his cloak off and began to call forth the Blocks.

"I find you very interesting, Mr. Mayer. The database says you were an artist of the lego media and that you were building an extra-ordinary piece before you mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago." Vulcan ran a hand through his fluffy red hair. "Is your body this masterpiece I've read about?" He asked as he examined the lego body.

"No..." Blocken smirked as the Blocks gathered behind him. "This was the masterpiece!" He exclaimed, standing at the feet of the giant lego Tyrannosaurus Rex. It threw its mouth agape and roared loudly at Vulcan.

"Impressive." Vulcan stared up at it through his goggles. "You must have a high level of furyoku to control every single block in that beast." His mouth lifted up into a sneer. "But is it enough to beat my oversoul?"

Behind him, the spirit of a large horned beast like an ox appeared. Dragon wings sprouted out from its back and its strong arms reached up to the sky as it roared back at the dinosaur.

"That's your father's spirit, Kaia. Can you feel it?" Reine turned to her daughter and smiled as Kaia looked up at her, nodding in reply. "A demon from the very depths of hell, a-"

"Balrog." Vulcan smirked, finishing his wife's sentence. "He possesses a lot of reiyoku. I hope you know what that is, Mr. Mayer."

Blocken growled. He hated how her parents treated everyone like they were imbeciles. "Of course I know what reiyoku is." He said, hiding his anger. "But I hope you know how much time you are wasting trying to scare me." Blocken said, smirking.

Vulcan grinned, he liked how this Blocken Mayer thought. He wasn't swayed by the Balrog one bit. He passed the first test, the test of bravery. Now he had to pass the second test.

"Come on, Mr. Mayer. Show me that you're worthy of my daughter's hand in marriage." Vulcan said as he stood in a fighting position and signaled for Blocken to come at him with his hand.

Blocken smiled at the thought of being married to Kaia. How could that happen in reality? What kind of god or goddess could there be to allow that? Whoever they were, he thanked them a million times. If he can prove to Vulcan that he was strong enough and if Kaia said yes, then he would be the happiest man on earth.

The dinosaur rushed at Vulcan, kicking up sand as it ran. Blocken watched silently as the Balrog met the dinosaur, pushing it back with its strong arms. They both roared at each other when one turned the table. It was a tug-of-war between the two until the dinosaur backed away and ran at the balrog again, opening its mouth.

"You may think we are evenly matched but you are wrong, Mr. Mayer!" Vulcan shouted as the balrog pulled out a whip from the Netherworld and snapped it at the dinosaur. The whip wrapped around its mouth, closing it shut as the balrog pulled on it.

Blocken frowned, this wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

"Your father is amazing Kaia." Reine smiled as she watched the battle, holding a hand to her cheek as Kaia often did. "I remember when I first met him. He was such a poindexter but when I saw the way he dressed when no one was around... Oh, I fell in love with him even more!"

"What did he wear, mother?" Kaia asked curiously.

"Leather." Reine blushed as she remembered seeing Vulcan in his tight leather pants, an open leather vest, complete with leather gloves and boots.

Kaia raised an eyebrow as she faced the commotion again on the beach. She couldn't imagine what he would have looked like because she had never seen him in the first place.

The Blocks began to come apart, falling to the ground only to build up into another form. Blocken dashed forward and crawled up on top of it, jumping into the front seat behind the wheel.

"Let's go, Die Tank!" He exclaimed. "Fire!" The tank rolled backwards as it shot out the missile at the balrog who turned towards Vulcan, spreading out its wings to shield him.

The balrog was sent forward as it tried to protect its master from the missile which left a gaping hole in its mid-section. It recovered quickly as the red flesh grew back in its stomach. Vulcan smirked as he studied this new block form of Blocken's.

"This is a lethal piece of art, Mr. Mayer. You damaged my oversoul." He said, adjusting his goggles on his face. "But who shall run out of furyoku first?"

"Not me!" Blocken shouted as the blocks began to transform into a new form, one that he had never tried out before.

The huge paws snapped into place as the legs were added on. Different colored blocks layered to form a texture and the look of a long fuzzy tail in the back with wag control. The head had a thick layer like a mane and it became smaller as it lengthened into a nuzzle with a moveable jaw and sharp lego teeth. The legoes lifted Blocken up and snapped him into place on the huge haunches of the wolf as it stood twenty feet in the air, thirty feet as it sat and howled, announcing battle.

The sound was eerie and sent shivers down everyone's spine. Like a machine slowing down and uttering long moans of pain. It wasn't a usual wolf's howl. Even Vulcan stared up at it in fear of the unknown.

"Meet Die Wolf!" Blocken shouted from his throne on the wolf's back.

Kaia wished she could see this new form. She remembered how Blocken could make something out of his oversoul so quick and well-formed. She wondered if it really looked like a wolf and how much detail he put into it.

Blocken panted from his throne. It took a lot of furyoku to make the wolf. He really shouldn't have put so much detail in the fur. Oh well, this last attack, he hoped, would finish Vulcan off and he would have the approval of marrying Kaia and he could ask her himself whether she felt the same or not.

"Let's see what this puppy's got, shall we?" Vulcan smiled.

The balrog let out a deep throated laugh that scared Kaia and Tamao. The tiger backed up and laid down behind Reine at her heels, carefully watching the battle from behind her legs. Reine was ecstatic as she watch her husband in battle. The memories began to rush back to her. Their high school years in that boarding school, their married life and the Project Apocalypse. This battle against Mr. Mayer, it would prove his worth in the new world. It would prove if he was worthy of being the husband of a dangerous young woman and the father of the future generation. This was all for the project.

**To be continued in Chapter 61!**


	61. Chapter 61

"You're very strong, Mr. Mayer." Vulcan smiled as he and everyone on the beach felt Blocken's furyoku faltering. "If I am to attack with you in your state, I fear that you might die. I would not want to kill my daughter's fiance so I surrender."

The balrog disappeared along with the wolf. Blocken dropped to the sand, breathing heavily as he laid down, trying to catch his breath. He stared up at the red-haired Vulcan who gave him a friendly smirk as he squatted down next to him.

"You are a worthy adversary but you really shouldn't have put so much into that last oversoul. You already passed the test when you were able to damage my oversoul, but I wanted to see what else you could do." He gave him an excited grin. "I approve." Vulcan held out his hand to Blocken, who was breathless as he shook the man's hand with his lego one.

"Oh, Blocken!" Kaia exclaimed as she ran up to him beside her father. "You won!" She smiled down at him.

"I'll leave you two alone." Vulcan said, seeing the look on his wife's face as she stared at him longingly and wore a mischeivous smile.

When Kaia felt that her father was away, she bent down lower to Blocken. "You really didn't have to fight my father." She whispered. "I mean, it's not like we're really going to get married. Right?"

Blocken's stomach leaped. She had doubts? He was too tired to ask her now, he only wanted to rest. "I'll tell you later." He breathed before falling asleep.

"Alright..." Kaia sighed and turned when she felt Tamao come up to her.

"Come on, Miss Keiko is here." She smiled, taking Kaia's hand.

Kaia looked back at Blocken as she and Tamao walked back towards camp. What did he want to tell her? Maybe he was going to ask her to marry him? Or maybe there was a better reason for the fight?

"Girls, could you help me with the vegetables?" Keiko smiled at them as they walked up the hill towards the road. She carried three wicker baskets piled together and they seemed to be very heavy.

Tamao picked one off the top and handed it to Kaia, then took the second one herself. Now that the burden was lifted, Keiko walked down with the two girls to the beach and set the baskets by the wash basin.

"Tamao, you can help peel the potatoes. Kaia, you can help wash them as Tamao hands them to you." Keiko assigned them jobs as she turned the faucet and got the water running. She unloaded a basket of vegetables into the large sink and handed Tamao a potato peeler.

The girls used teamwork as they kept in a constant cycle. Tamao would peel a potato, place it in Kaia's hands and Kaia would turn and wash it in the running water. She placed the freshly peeled and cleansed potato in a large metal bowl where Keiko chopped them up into slices. This kept on until Keiko saw that the metal bowl was full and thought that it would be enough for the dinner Mickey was making.

"Alright girls, that's enough for now." Keiko flashed them a warm smile. "Thank you."

"Let's go play in the water again Kaia!" Tamao suggested excitedly.

"Sorry, Tamao. I must tend to Blocken right now." Kaia said to her, sensing his awakened aura.

"Do you need any help then?" Tamao asked, her face full of determination to help out.

"I'll be fine. Thanks, Tamao." Kaia smiled sweetly.

Kaia sat down next to Blocken as he sat up in the sand. No one was around, they were all gathered near the grill, helping to prepare the food. It was such a sight to see all the different families, people, good and evil sides together making a barbeque. Kaia could feel the peacefulness in all of them, except Blocken. He was anxious about something. She could almost hear his heart pounding. Or was it her's?

"Now, what were you going to tell me?" Kaia asked him as she handed him a water bottle after she had twisted the cap off and placed a straw in it, figuring that his mask would be an obstacle.

He drank thoughtfully through the straw. He was glad Kaia put a straw in it, since the incident, he has had trouble drinking from a water bottle or any kind of liquid container. She was so thoughtful.

"I've been thinking a lot recently." Blocken started nervously. He was not ready for this at all. He wished he could pass out again but the cool water had awaken him. "About you... and us living together. The more I think of you and it's not just because Turbine is gone but..." He vacillated and stuttered. "Kaia I think I may be in love with you!" He quickly said.

She had no expression. With the blindfold, he couldn't tell. He hoped he wasn't too quick in confessing his feelings, it was really hard for him to gather enough courage to do it.

"You think so?" Kaia asked, blushing. She touched her hand to her cheek, flattered. "How can one think that they are in love? Isn't that half denial?"

"I would like to deny it but I can't." He stared at her intently through his mask, observing her every expression. "It's like, I've recognized you now. And all the talk of marriage has really encouraged me."

"I have something to tell you too." Kaia smiled slightly. "And it's not because you just told me but ever since that night when you asked me to come with you to Hiroshima, I've developed feelings for you." She blushed bright pink and raised both hands to her cheeks, embarrassed.

Blocken's heart skipped a beat. She felt the same way too! This living, breathing goddess loved him, a mortal vermin from the dust. Oh, the Gods have smiled on him all his life! His imagination ran wild as he thought of his future with Kaia in Hiroshima. But he fell from grace as the thought of his disability knifed into his dreams. He was vertically challenged, more than he was before and he had basically no arms. If he was to remove his lego body for a long period of time, he would die. Besides, Kaia would not want his freaky body underneath.

"Oh, Kaia. How are we going to go through with this?" He sighed, looking down at the grains of sand sadly.

"What do you mean?" Kaia asked, oblivious to their disabilities.

"Your parents think we're getting married. If we do, sometime soon, how are we going to cope with my body?" He was thinking way too far ahead.

"I'm sure we'll figure out something." Kaia said optimistically. She began to wonder what was under the lego armor for him to be so self-conscious about it.

"What is it that you like about me? I'm a creep, how can you love me?" He asked, feeling a little more open now that he had told her his feelings.

"You're not a creep, Blocken. I like you because you are a caring person." She replied with a warm smile. "It is so easy to love when you care about a person."

"Yes I am. A caring creep and you're such a beautiful angel. You've had an unlucky start in life. I want to make it better for you. You deserve so much." He swallowed hard, hoping the words touched her.

Kaia's bottom lip quivered before she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Blocken, hugging him.

**To be continued in Chapter 62!**


	62. Chapter 62

The sun set slowly on the horizon, casting an orange glow on the island. Everyone gathered on the beach seemed so calm and peaceful even though they were waiting for the world to end. Tomorrow, Hao would merge with the Great Spirit and they were pouring all of their faith and hope into Yoh and his friends to stop Hao. They ate thoughtfully, savoring every moment they had to live after Blocken had pessimistically said that this would be our last supper. Kaia's family, however thought there would be a tomorrow. They arranged for Kaia and Blocken to stay at their rental home on the island for the night, the deeper reason was not out of hospitality but to help plan their wedding which was still tentative.

Kaia sat on the sand next to Blocken who sat in a folding chair at the grill. He didn't particularly care for the idea of staying at the Brinton's house but Kaia insisted they take up the offer. Plus, she wanted to know more about her parents after thirteen years of being alone in the world. He couldn't say no to her anymore, now that they shared the same feelings for each other. She looked so cute, patiently waiting at his side, bathing in the sun's glow. She would make a good wife, so young and beautiful. Everyone told him that when her parents leaked news of their engagement, which wasn't official yet. She would have to train her other senses since she was blind, but he believed she could manage it if they survived the night. He wasn't so worried about her blindness as he was about his limbless body. He wondered if Kaia would even care or if science had advanced after fifteen years and he could get new limbs through a medical procedure. It would cost so much but would it be worth it? Afterall, Kaia can't see but she can feel and that's what made his stomach churn. He stopped when he thought he was thinking way too far ahead. He wished he was a normal guy and didn't have to worry about it. But if she loved him for him, that was enough.

"This night, the sea is very agitated." Mickey said, gazing out at sea.

"Yeah. It's dark already. Lord Hao should be preparing to go to sleep now." Blocken added, watching the tide come in.

"But it's strange." Mickey looked through the eyeholes of his mask at Blocken. "Hao's biological and adoptive father, who would have thought that a day would come for the two of us to meet."

"And we both wear a mask. But we are still enemies." Blocken said from deep within his mask.

Mickey chuckled through his mask at both the mask sitution and the fact that Kaia had fallen asleep, falling against Blocken's side. Vulcan walked up to the side of the grill, his wife clinging to him lovingly. They smiled down at their sleeping daughter.

"We'll take her home. Will you be coming with us, Blocken?" Vulcan asked.

"No, I'll stay here a little while longer." He replied.

"Alright. You'll know where to find us, I hope." He smiled as Reine helped him get Kaia onto his back.

"I'll be home in a bit, don't worry." He said to the family before they trekked up the beach towards the road, followed by the giant tiger.

The bumpy road woke Kaia up from her nap. She felt the car rumbling under her and her parents sitting on either side of her. Their family tiger, Rex, was laid out at their feet on the floor of the car. She could hear his heavy breathing as she sat in the car seat. Other than their warm auras, she was surrounded by darkness. She could only make out splotches of red. Was her vision coming back to her? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her again?

Reine cracked open a window and let the cool night air in. The breeze rustled the leaves as it blew into the limosine, carrying with it a whisper.

"Good night, everyone." Kaia heard the familiar voice of Hao say from the depths of the ocean.

She smiled. All because of Hao, her life had changed to this. "Good night, Hao." She whispered before she fell back to sleep to dream of far away deserts and a man she once knew.

**THE END?**


	63. Author's Note

Wow, the end of the story. Now that I re-read it, I think I could have done better.

Peyote: Yeah, you could've done a lot better if Kaia had been my fiancé!

Shut up, Peyote. We all know you were a suicidal maniac anyways.

Peyote: Only because she wasn't mine! I demand you come out with a new chapter, all about me and Kaia.

Turbine: Damn it Peyote! -attacks him-

Kaia: Stop fighting over me!

Yeah, seriously. Don't ruin my purple shag rug.

Blocken: Rawr, I'm a dinosaur. -in Die Block form-

OMG! Blocken! -huggles-

Bill: I told you to stay in the toy box!

Blocken: ...Help... me... -struggles to breath-

Jeez, you're in armor for goodness sake. I can't suffocate you.

Boris: Your human scent is suffocating him.

Bullcrap! I thought I put you to death for being too dreamy and egotistical. -starry eyes while holding Blocken tightly to chest-

Boris: You can't kill a vampire.

Shut up! -throws a clove of garlic-

Boris: Ack! -holds nose-

I love you guys. Especially Blocken.

Blocken: Oh God.

Hey! I just had an idea! -idea bulb lights up- How about I do a special chapter? Whatever you guys want to do.

Peyote: Me and Kaia!

Turbine: Me and Kaia!! No Peyote!

Bill: We all play football.

Blocken: I just want to play with my blocks. -sits in the midst of a bunch of legoes-

Zang-Ching: We have a karaoke game.

Boris: A vampire one-shot!

Kaia: I can't choose at all.

-sigh- I know you can't. I made you that way. -pats head- But don't worry, sis. I'll choose for you since all of their ideas are crap. Group huddle! How about... -whispers-

Turbine: I like that idea.

Peyote: As long as I get to do one.

Zang-Ching: Sorry but I'll be out of town that weekend.

Where in the world do you go? You're a fictional character.

Zang-Ching: I have a life too you know! I work towards my dream of becoming a pop idol.

-sweat drop- Well, how about the rest of you?

Bill: I'll help out.

Blocken: Me too but you know I can't do much.

What if I gave you a new body? In exchange that you show your cute little face and do as we planned?

Blocken: -blushes- Alright.

Opacho: What about a sequel!?

Everyone, except me and Opacho: DON'T GIVE HER ANY IDEAS!!


	64. Alternate Ending 1

**This is sort of a song fic, I suggest listening to Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild while reading. This is an alternate ending to Trial By Fire. I don't know where it could fit in with the story but it was a nice piece that I had thought up of. Enjoy!**

* * *

The engine roared loudly as Peyote turned the key and backed the motorcycle out of the parking lot. It was a beauty, a 1999 Fat Boy FLSTF, with a sleek black body and a young woman of sixteen behind him on the passenger's seat that made it look even better.

He looked back at her with a calm smile when she wrapped her small arms around his torso. She was so young and beautiful, her long red hair hung down to her waist and she looked up at him with those big brown eyes, full of love. He looked her up and down. She had an average shape for a sixteen year old, like an hourglass. The red tube top she wore kept slipping off of her and she was constantly trying to pull up her leather pants which was too big around the waist for her skinny body. But he loved her just the same as the girl reached up and kissed his stubbled cheek before he floored the pedal and the motorcycle sped off onto Route 66.

He stared intently at the road through his goggles, anticipating on getting home to Mexico with his new bride. She seemed just as excited as he was. They had known each other since the beginning of the Shaman Tournament and he had fallen in love with her. His heart was almost broken when he found out she was engaged to that towel head, Mohammed Tabarsih. So he killed him and all of the others who were the couple's friends. He swept Kaia off her feet and boarded the first boat off that bloody island. She was shaken the first couple days but soon realized that she was with Peyote now. They had gotten married in a chapel in Las Vegas and unbeknownst to Kaia, he had stolen a motorcycle to get them to Mexico.

She rested her head on his bare back and watched as the barren desert passed by them. She looked forward to her new life in Mexico. Peyote promised to buy a nice little home in his home town for them to live in. He's already started to teach her Spanish, as he promised. She knew how to say several phrases already, such as _'Hello, my name is Kaia Diaz: Hola, mi nombre es Kaia Diaz,'_ or, _'Good morning: Buenas dias,'_ and even, _'How do you say ... in Spanish: Como se dice ... in espanol?'_ to ask how to say certain things in Spanish that she didn't know about yet.

"Hola, mi nombre es Kaia Diaz." She whispered softly, refreshing herself.

Peyote smiled, hearing her speak in Spanish. He peered over his shoulder. "Te amo." He told her.

"Que?" She shouted over the engine.

"Te amo. I love you, Kaia." He replied.

Kaia blushed and hugged him tight. "Te amo tambien, Peyote." She said with a smile. He was pleased with her quick learning.

The two lovers drove off into the sunset, listening to Steppenwolf's _'Born to be Wild'_ on the motorcycle's radio as it came in with static. They didn't care, their minds were set on each other and their life they would spend together as they drove down The Road of Love.


	65. Alternate Ending 2

It was quiet in the city, even the desert winds had died down just for tonight. There were no city lights to blind people through their windows but there were candles and oil lamps in households. The moon and the stars in the clear sky supplied all the light the city would need for the night. For this quiet, lovely, and perfect night.

A man took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet jasmine from the garden below. He had his back up to the wall as he sat squarely on the stone railing, one foot barely touching the floor while the other one was propped up on the railing, helping the girl from falling off the edge into the pool below. She sat up against him, her back against his chest and her head under his chin. She played with her red hair as she sat in his warm embrace. He buried his mouth and nose in her hair and looked up through his messy black hair at the moon. Full and silver like a coin. He wished he had a coin to pay for a wedding. He could just take the moon and give her a wedding. He smiled slightly. She'd be upset to hear if the moon was spent just for her. She loves to look at it too.

The lovers were like yin and yang, good and bad, light and darkness, male and female. A perfect union. She was so young and beautiful, he was middle-aged and had such a dreamy face. And they were in love! That was the beauty of it all. Engaged and in love, in the presence of the world.

The world that was under the secret rule of Hao, the Shaman King. News of his coronation reached the two lovers weeks after they ran away from the wretched island where the Shaman Tournament was being held. This did not matter to them. All that mattered was that they were together and no one could split them apart.

"Mohammed." She whispered his name.

He reached down and kissed her cheek. "Hm?" He ran his mouth up the right side of her face, kissing her every inch of the way.

"Please, don't let me go." She begged quietly, feeling his muscles.

"I will never let you go, Kaia." He held her tighter, thinking that she was afraid to fall.

"No, I want this night to last forever. I don't want you to let me go." She turned in his arms and faced him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"If that's what you wish." He gave her that dreamy smile she loved so much.

"Oh, Mohammed." She smiled and kissed him on the lips, holding his head close. He held her tight against him as they kissed.

This was a quiet, lovely and perfect night that would last forever.


	66. Alternate Ending 3

The haunted melody of piano music drifted through the halls of the Brinton family household. Over twenty bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms, a large dining room that once shook with the family's voices and a courtyard with many exotic plants and animals. Yes, the Brintons were very rich and lived in a life of pure luxury. But it was all thanks to the line of smart and civilized barons before them that got them this far. The mansion was built in the late 1300's, but then it was very small. They added more rooms as the family grew and expanded and it was now a family vacation home. Just down the road was the Brinton laboratory which had been expanded too within time. The Brintons were not only spoiled barons but they were inquiring scientists and strong shamans. They secretly studied themselves and developed a superior feeling over mankind as they discovered themselves. All this brought on the Project Apocalypse.

Blocks of sunlight found its way through the blood red curtains with golden tassles, placing elongated triangles of light on the marble floors. All down the long halls were giant paintings of past Brintons who made a contribution towards the Brinton family of today. All for the Project as their watchful eyes followed people down the hall, towards the Brinton jewel.

The jewel sat on an oak wood bench, relaxed and at ease as their pale, slender fingers ran along the plastic keys, reminding them of a cold, hard plastic hand they had once held and wish to hold again. The music seemed to flow through them from deep in the heart. Their blindness would not stop them from playing. The burning desire to play was too much for them to bear when away from the piano. This was their serenity.

A sudden applauding from the door startled the girl on the bench. She had been so caught up in the music that she forgot to do a furyoku imprint. Being blind, the shaman girl had to learn how to improvise for her eyes so she taught herself how to do a "furyoku imprint" as she called it. Using her furyoku like a molding solution, she can form a mental image of her surroundings when the furyoku imprint comes back to her. She hasn't developed colors yet but ever since she came home, she had been sensing red a lot.

"Oh, Kaia darling! You play absolutely lovely!" Her mother exclaimed as she wrapped her long arms around her daughter.

"Thank you, mother." Kaia smiled sweetly when her mother let go and brushed her daughter's long red hair with a slender hand.

"Your classes with Mr. Henslinger and Mrs. Seer must have really helped." Her father pushed his large glasses up his nose.

"Yes, they have, papa. Thank you so much for hiring them to teach me." Kaia said appreciatively.

Mr. Henslinger was an aging man from the country, an expert pianist. He often got mad if she messed up on a note and would begin to throw things but then he would be carried out by Rex, the family pet. Mrs. Seer was a tutor for the blind and taught Kaia how to read brail and cope with her blindness. Kaia had a hunch that Mrs. Seer was a little loose in the head when she began to predict Kaia's obvious future that had been planned by her parents. Like for example, Kaia's parents hadn't told her about the picnic on Saturday and Mrs. Seer said she predicted that Kaia would go on a lovely pinic and have lots of fun. And like when Mrs. Seer began to forget where she put her purse when it was right under her nose. Her tutors weren't the best in personality and behaviors but they sure did know what they were teaching.

"Anything for my princess." He smirked and messed up her hair that her mother had just fixed. Kaia grinned and hugged her father around the waist.

"If I can have anything..." She started as she hugged him. "Then I would like my eyesight back and I want to visit Blocken."

Vulcan and Reine both stared at Kaia in surprise. She had never asked them for anything since she came home.

"Uhh... We'll talk about it, honey." Vulcan patted his daughter's back.

"That's all I want." Kaia smiled as she pulled back from her father. "I would like to be able to see again so I can see Blocken. Oh! And I would like for him to be fixed too. He needs new limbs."

Vulcan and Reine both looked at each other. They had the money but would they do it for their daughter? Surely there were breakthroughs in medical science that could cure her eyesight and they knew for sure doctors could give people new limbs. But would they do it just to make her happy? Maybe they could use that as bribery for the Project? Yes, such a great idea. Two minds think alike as the parents both smirked.


	67. Alternate Ending 4

**This alternate ending was not supposed to be over 4,000 words. I was only going to foreshadow it up to a certain point and let the reader imagine what would happen but I got carried away as you will see. I thought it turned out well for a one-shot.**

* * *

_"Do not carry burdens or regrets. Be free as a bird. Be wild as fire."_

The smell of burning flesh and smoke filled the air, giving a gray tint to the red sky. The bright yellow sun was setting, setting an orange glow to the already burning city.

_"Play with fire, and you get burned."_

Humans asked for this. All through the course of history they had fought amongst themselves for power, ignoring everything else in the world and not letting anything get in their way. They lit the fire and they got burned.

_"There's a fire in my soul and it wishes to spread."_

She smiled as she watched the fire spread throughout the city. The screams echoed as the citizens tried to escape but were caught in the Ring of Fire. Such an excellent plan to set a ring of fire around the city before entering and attacking. There was no way to escape.

"_They will pay for what they did to me."_

A helicopter rose up in the air and tried to escape over the city. Before it reached the Ring of Fire, it bursted into flames. If one had the time to look close as they burned, they would see the giant bird consuming the helicopter. The flames wrapped around the helicopter, twisting, crushing and burning it before it disappeared in thin air, along with the fire bird.

"This is all for the Project." She smiled to herself with a blood-thirsty grin through her long, blood red hair.

"And April brings us live to the scene." Said the newsanchor as he sat in the center of everyone's televisions. His suave black hair neatly combed over to cover the bald spot and his neatly pressed suit. This guy was locally famous for his good looks and charisma. But no one cared as they watched the scene that had been reported worldwide. "April?"

"I'm standing here a few miles outside the city of Tokyo now, Bob. Authorities won't let anyone near the city within two miles but you can pretty much see the situation taking place here. Reports say that at 10 AM this morning, a large fire spread across the city, burning everything in sight. Many lives were lost due to the fire on the outside of the city, blocking the way to get out. Authorities say this was not a natural fire-"

The television went black as it was turned off. A man sat lazily on his couch, a laid-back grin on his face. Long brown hair hung down, flowing along the couch. He was partially naked as he sat in his boxers. Casually sitting in his home, watching the latest news about the fifth fire attack this week. Could this be coincidence or was there something supernatural happening here?

"So her power has been unlocked. I wish to see what kind of damage she can do." The man picked up his telephone that laid convenientally at his side and dialed a number. "Blocken, have you seen the news?" He chuckled. "You know what's happening don't you?" The man hummed as if he was holding in a secret. "Your little lover girl is pissed. You better be careful, she seems to be heading in that direction. Haha, bye!" The man pressed the "End" button and laughed.

A man fumbled around his house, aimlessly looking for something. His brown hair was messed up and he was sweating hard. Something was bothering him terribly as he mumbled to himself and dug through drawers and closets.

"She needs help. She is so powerful. If he observes how strong she gets... She needs my help." He muttered as he opened a shoebox and dug in it anxiously. "Ah, there it is! Finally!" He stuck something in his pocket and ran down the hall.

Black boots stepped up onto a fallen statue. It had landed on several black masses of people who burnt under the statue. The girl smiled as she gazed around, observing her work.

"Well, that wraps that up." She said as she tightened the blindfold around her head, covering her eyes. "Are there any survivors?" She asked outloud but no one was around.

"No, hatchling. We killed them all." A voice said as a fiery spirit appeared beside her.

"Good. All for the Project, Lavaine." She walked back down the statue and leaped onto the road. "Let's head into the next town and eat before we begin the cleansing again. It's about my lunchtime."

The girl shoved her hands into the pockets of her black leather pants as she walked along the road. The fire died down and seemed to collect at her feet. An entity hovered above her like a heat wave but she did not seem affected by the fire, heat or the smoke. She was the fire. Her red hair blowed in the wind, revealing her leather vest that was zipped up halfway, exposing her lacy red blouse. Her father had bought her the outfit in remembrance of his old leather fetish. She found it comfortable and stylish as she did the cleansing for the Project.

Even though she was a totally different person now, months from the end of the Shaman Tournament, she did not forget all the people she had met. They had all influenced her to become what she was now. When she was a child, a man named Mohammed Tabarsih taught her the evils of humans and how they constantly start wars. Within the personality of a man named Peyote Diaz, she saw that humans will stop at nothing to get what they want and seem to always be in a drunken rage. A ridiculed, vertically challened man named Blocken Mayer showed her how humans looked down on each other simply because they were different. Many more people had helped her along the way but these three contributed a lot to the idea of the Project. She missed them so, but that was why she was on her way South, towards Hiroshima. She wanted to surprise him when she appeared at his doorstep.

"He will be so surprised to see me." She said to herself as she entered the next city, Kanagawa.

Blocken stared out at the countryside through the window of the bullet train. Everything sped by so fast, like the Shaman Tournament. He couldn't believe how in a few months that so many people were slaughtered on that island. But, that was nothing compared to what was happening now. One little sixteen-year old girl was killing thousands in a single day, already millions in one week.

He guessed it had started Sunday morning when reports of cities in Japan began to burn down rapidly throughout the week. The whole world was interested in the matter. It reminded him of the island south of Tokyo where the tournament was held. When the world found out about it, they flocked to the island with warships and scientists. But would her attacks be successful? He hoped to stop her before she got badly injured. How stupid of her parents to allow this! Well, this was their idea. Why did she go with them? Why didn't she come to Hiroshima with him and live a peaceful life? Did she love him like he had hoped? Even if he had to fight her himself, he would stop at nothing to stop her.

The train pulled into the station at Kanagawa and Blocken quickly rushed off. He didn't even have time to comb his hair or put on more formal clothes than a t-shirt, khakis and sneakers. He was intent on finding her and bringing her to her senses. Hao's words echoed in his mind from the second time he called him before he left.

"I know something you don't know." His mocking voice came over the phone when Blocken picked it up.

"Yeah, what?" He asked impatiently.

"She shall see." Hao snickered before hanging up.

What did he mean by "She shall see,"? Was it that she would see that she can't kill off the human race? She was blind, how could she see anything? Blocken shook his head. He hated that man with a passion after raising the little demon himself. He could have gone through it better if he had her at his side at that awful time. He wished he had her now. Maybe they were not meant to be? But why was he going there now to meet up with her and save her? This had to be fate.

The young girl sat at a ramen bar enjoying a hot bowl of ramen after another day of cleansing. Everyone looked at her odd. Her clothes were really inappropriate to wear in public but what did she care? She was blind!

Blocken saw the familiar red hair from miles away. His heart leaped. He was so excited to see her again after a year. She was still as beautiful as he remembered but... why was she wearing leather?

"He's here." Kaia whispered when she finished her ramen and payed the man. At least give him a little start before he dies.

"I see him." Lavaine whispered.

"Kaia!" Blocken called, waving.

She turned and smiled, acting surprised. She could feel his aura even before she finished her ramen and as she did a furyoku imprint, she could feel that he was no longer in the lego body but in a brand new, human body with limbs.

"Kaia, it's so nice to see you again." Blocken grinned as he gazed up at her. Was it just him or was she putting off heat? She was pretty hot after all. Being that she had just burned down five cities!

"Oh, Blocken. I've missed you so." She bent down and held his face in her hands, kissing his forehead. "I was heading my way to Hiroshima to see you."

He blushed bright red. "You were? Wow, what a surprise. I heard you were in Tokyo so I headed up this way." He looked around him and felt uneasy around all the people. "Kaia, let's talk in a more private place, okay?"

She giggled. "Alright." She took his hand and he led her down the street. Everyone stared at the couple. A tall woman in leather with her rack exposed and a short man dressed like an American. They were a sleazy couple. Kaia would kill them all soon.

He opened the blue wooden door and let her in first. There was a missing numer on the door, it looked like a seven. This room was number sixty-seven of a Japanese, American style motel. Blocken thought that this would be the closest thing they'd get to privacy.

She sat down on the lumpy bed and felt the musty sheets. There was something wet in the middle, making her frown. She smelled her fingers and grimaced. Why would Blocken rent a room that wasn't clean? Did he think she wasn't good enough for a five-star private room? She had been around her rich snobby parents too long.

"Kaia, I know what you've been doing." Blocken said from the closed door.

"Missing you, that's all I've been doing Blocken." She smiled at him.

"The cities, Kaia. I know you burned them all. I know you're carrying out the Project."

"Oh, Blocken. Don't you know I'm trying to make a better world for our future generations?" She slowly pulled down her vest zipper.

"Future generations? By that do you mean..." Blocken gulped with nervousness. "Our children?"

Kaia nodded as her vest fell to the bed and she slipped her arms out of it.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Blocken backed up against the door as she walked up to him, with a swing in her hips.

She ran her black, leather gloves down his cheeks and smiled warmly. "Because I've missed you. We've been apart for so long. All I want to do is..." Her voice trailed off as her face neared his. She closed her eyes and kissed him softly on the lips.

He pushed her back, careful not to hurt her. "No, Kaia. Not right now. We have to deal with your problem first."

"What problem? My only problem is being in love with you." She sat at his feet with her boots under her.

"Kaia, please. Stop trying to seduce me. Is this what you're going to do when you get caught for what you've done?" He asked sternly. He wished he could just let it all go and let her do her thing.

"Well, I never thought of that." She frowned. "Oh, please Blocken! Help me!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and begged. "They're threatening to kill me if I don't carry out the plan."

"Stop lying." Blocken said with a straight and angry face. "I know the situation better than you think I do. Ever since your parents took you back you've become a spoiled brat."

"Blocken..." Her lip quivered as she gazed up at his direction.

"Kaia, I love you and I'm not going to let you get hurt for the crimes you committed. Stop now and come home with me."

Suddenly Kaia fell to the floor. He had seen this happen before. She was being possessed by her spirit! He bent down beside her and tried to shake her awake. So all that she had said and done since they entered the motel was that spirit's doing. He was disappointed when he realized it but maybe it was for the better. He couldn't see Kaia being a sex crazed girl anyways, sadly.

"Kaia, speak to me." He begged as he hovered over her.

"Blocken, what happened?" She asked him, clueless.

"Nothing, just relax." He brushed a hand through her hair. "I want to show you something." It occurred to him what Hao had said, "She shall see."

"Yes?" She grinned, not exactly sure what he was going to show her. She had no guess at all.

He slipped off her blindfold and pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket. "Kaia, I want you to look at this picture before you go and destroy another city." He handed her the paper. "Think of these people in the photo. You could be destroying their families and friends, or even them."

Kaia opened her eyes and the light blinded her. She had wore that blindfold for so long because she believed herself to be blind. Figures began to fill her sight as her eyes adjusted. She saw a man staring down at her, lovingly. Wrinkles formed around his eyes and there were very small hints of gray in his brown hair. So this was Blocken? She looked from him and at the photo in her hand. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she saw him. She hadn't been able to cry for so long, it felt good to finally cry again.

"The picture was taken shortly after we arrived on the island. Do you remember all of them?" Blocken asked her, seeing her reaction.

"Mohammed..." She whispered and touched his face in the picture. That dreamy smile, messy black hair and strong, Middle-Eastern toned body. Her deceased fiance. Beside him stood a Mexican man with a bald head all except for a long lock of red hair that hung down over his face. Peyote Diaz, her obsessive admirer. A large, muscular man stood in the middle of the two lines of people she once knew. He wore large scars on his huge body as he held up a small cloaked figure on his shoulder. The large man was Big Guy Bill Burton. Oh, how she missed him! She missed them all. Even Hanagumi, the three witches who were mean to her.

Blocken looked down at the floor sadly. He knew this would happen. She would see him and remember the times she had with Turbine. Just when he had felt like she loved him, he found out she was being possessed. They were not meant to be.

"Alright, I'll stop. But you must take me away from here. My parents..." She stopped when she saw a tear fall from Blocken's face. "Blocken?"

"Do you still love him?" He asked her, holding back his tears.

"Of course I still love Turbine." Kaia sat up on her elbows. "Blocken, what's wrong?"

"If I take you back to Hiroshima, will you marry me?" He asked her, his back turned.

Kaia smiled to herself. "Yes, I will."

"You idiot girl." Lavaine squawked.

Both of them whirled around to see the great pheonix in all of his glory. Bright red feathers with gold tips. He looked like he was on fire as he hovered in the middle of the room.

"You're so easy to say yes to any man who asks you to marry him. I bet if you didn't have feelings for them, you'd still accept their proposal."

"Stay out of this, bird brain!" Blocken leaped up to his feet angrily. "I know you've influenced Kaia to do this. I won't stand around and let you and her parents use her."

"Blocken..." Kaia reached up and grabbed his hand.

He tightened his grip. He needed all the support he could get now. He had never stood up to anyone in his life.

"You could resist her, you're a very sensible man." Lavaine referred to when he possessed Kaia. "Afterall, she has a very lovely body." He wrapped around Kaia and swirled around her body like a snake. Blocken looked down to resist his urges. "Doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does." Blocken admitted and squeezed Kaia's hand tighter.

"Don't you want it?" Lavaine asked him, swirling around the room.

Blocken looked away from Kaia as he held her hand. She felt guilty. It was her fault that he was suffering. It was her fault that Lavaine was going to kill him. Her beauty was such a curse. All she wanted to do was visit an old friend but she can't even do that anymore.

"Yes." Blocken replied, feeling ashamed. He was giving in to the spell. What happened to standing up for Kaia?

"Then take it." Lavaine whispered in his ear. Blocken's heart leaped. He had never been told to just take things. He always had to wait for the bigger people to get their share and if there was anything left, he could have that. But no one has been able to take Kaia. He had the first bid. "Take her, she's all your's. It's all for the project."

Kaia backed away from Blocken, feeling insecure. She didn't know what they were talking about but it had a sense of evil to it. Blocken gazed at her longingly as he tried to decide.

"I would rather do it for love." He said. "I decline your offer."

Lavaine screeched, rearing his head back and his wings of fire spreading across the room like a hungry fire. "How can you say no to that!? You're just a puny human who can't resist temptation!" His eyes burned into their very souls, trying to read why Blocken wouldn't accept.

"I may be puny and sometimes I can't resist Kaia but I will not contribute to the end of this world. Not anymore." He turned and looked at Kaia with a reassuring glance.

Lavaine let out a terrifying roar, breaking the two from their staring contest. "Humans shall die!" He screeched as he dived at Blocken, who was ready to take the hit.

Kaia leaped in the way and as Lavaine smashed into her belly, she took his head and pulled it up to her's. "Lavaine, no more. I'm a big girl now." She whispered to him as she stared at him down his yellow beak. Blood began to leak out of her mouth and down her chin. Lavaine, seeing that he had harmed his mistress, disappeared in a fiery fury. Kaia fell to her knees in pain and doubled over, vomitting blood and her ramen lunch onto the floor.

"What happened? Is he gone?" Blocken asked, holding her hair back.

Kaia took a deep breath, regaining her senses. "No, he is just dormant inside of me."

Blocken looked down at her sadly. They control her through the spirit. All her life, he had instructed her in what to do. She never had any free will. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked her, not sure of what else to say.

"The pain will go away soon." Kaia groaned gripping her stomach. "Other than that I feel really great for telling him off."

"Me too." Blocken smiled. "Should we stay here for the night or would you like to come home with me?"

Kaia looked up at him feeling that he was bringing up the conversation he had with Lavaine earlier about "taking her." She had really no choice. Her parents would track her down anyways and she didn't want to cleanse cities anymore. She just wanted to stay at home and be a good girl. "I just want to be with you, Blocken." She smiled sweetly.

"You do?" He was still surprised that she wanted to marry him. "Well, then we'll stay here for tonight since that's how long I rented it. Tomorrow morning, we'll leave for Hiroshima." He stared down at her excitedly. "Oh, Kaia. It'll be just as I promised you."

"I can't wait," she smiled. She got up and cleaned her face off in the bathroom before plopping onto the bed.

"Are you being serious about this?" Blocken asked her, sitting beside her on the bed.

"Yes, I am. Why do you not think so?" She asked him.

He shrugged. "It's just like a dream come true, I guess."

Suddenly, the phone rang and Blocken reached over to pick it up. There was a laughing on the other end and Blocken knew already who it was.

"You knew this was too good to be true." Hao snickered on the other line.

"What do you mean?" Blocken hissed through the phone.

Hao let out a maniacal laugh. "Just kidding, this is real life." With that, he hung up the phone.

"Darn Hao," Blocken muttered as he put the phone back on the receiver. He turned towards Kaia, who was now clinging to his arm.

"What did he want?" She asked him sweetly.

"Nothing," Blocken smiled at her as he brushed back her hair. "He just wanted to say good night."

Their eyes closed as their faces neared each other for a kiss. The real kiss. Not just a possessed girl but with the real, conscious Kaia. Her soft, warm lips against his for the second time. He was able to enjoy this one for what seemed like the longest time until she pulled away and laid next to him, her head on his chest.

He smiled at her, feeling her every breath, her every heart beat. They had so much to look forward to together. He hoped everything was over and that they could just live happy, peaceful lives but something deep inside him told him this wasn't the end. It will never stop until the world stops turning. Until then, he could only enjoy the quiet moments he had with Kaia in between fighting with her parents and Lavaine. The quiet, romantic and happy ones, he thought to himself with a grin. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes, feeling sleep calling him.

"Good night, Blocken," She whispered as she cuddled closer.

"Good night, Kaia," He replied, wrapping his arms around her to hold her up against him.


	68. Alternate Ending 5

The wind blew softly through Kaia's red hair as she sat out on the roof of the Asakura house. It had been well over a year since the end of the Shaman Tournament and Kaia had chosen to stay with the Asakuras. Blocken seemed to be okay with her decision but she could sense disappointment in him. He called every now and then to check on her. She began to think he was lonely and needed someone to talk too. Mikihasa was trying to arrange for Blocken to meet up with Kaia and take her out somewhere nice, but it was a tentative idea. Kaia really loved her new family even though they were poor. Kino was teaching her the ways of an Itako in Izumo during the week and on the weekends, she would stay with Keiko in Funbari. Mickey was always off with Tamao, climbing mountains, praying at shrines and such. Keiko told Kaia that he had done it since the boys were born because he took the blame upon himself. Mikihasa had such dedication.

"Hey, what's up?" Yoh asked her as he climbed up on the roof and followed her gaze. Of course, she wasn't looking at anything in particular, she still wore her blindfold.

"Nothing much. Just taking your advice." Kaia smiled in his direction. He returned a grin.

"Takin' it easy, hm?" He chuckled. "Mom says dinner is almost ready."

"Great, I'm starving." Kaia smiled as Yoh took her hand and helped her through the attic window.

She looked up to Yoh as an older brother and Anna, his fiance, as an older sister. She was part of the family now, like a long lost sister.

"Kaia, there is a special guest waiting for you!" Keiko called from the bottom of the attic stairs.

Kaia passed Yoh up, letting go of his hand. She quickly ran down the stairs and down the hallway, feeling the walls as she went. She bursted into the dining room and felt an extra presence at the table. A mental image of an enchanting smile and long nose creeped into her mind.

"Anahol?" She stopped in the doorway, her shoulders dropped. She was hoping to find Blocken.

"Hey Kaia." He waved. "How are you doing?"

"He came all the way from Egypt to visit you." Keiko smiled warmly.

"How nice." Kaia slumped down on the pillow at the table. She was not as excited about his visit as she should have been.

"Yeah, I've been traveling and meeting up with the others. Bill wanted to say hi." Anahol sucked from his cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke.

Kaia bowed her head. She knew she should be poilte and act like she was surprised to see him but his visit was a total let down. She never really liked Anahol, he was always disappearing and acted like he didn't want to be friends with her. She had wanted her visitor to be Blocken but maybe another time. She gazed up in Anahol's direction.

"So you aren't taking your brother's place as pharoah?" She asked him to start up a conversation. Hopefully he won't disappear this time.


End file.
